Pierre-Etienne Franc, co-founder & CEO of Hy24 (World Hydrogen 2025 Summit and Exhibition)
Europe should partner with China in clean hydrogen race
China emerges as clear frontrunner as US growth stalls and Europe burdens its industry with labyrinthine regulations
Europe should work with China and capitalise on its leadership in low-carbon hydrogen because it will likely miss its own targets amid ever-changing rules and regulations, according to speakers at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam. With the US administration of Donald Trump looking set to repeal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act and other programmes supporting low-carbon hydrogen projects, China is likely to emerge as the world leader because Europe is getting lost in its own labyrinthine regulations. “The Chinese are going faster, and they have cheaper energy available,” said Pierre-Etienne Franc, CEO of Hy24, a hydrogen private equity asset manager. “They are basically lead
Also in this section
2 December 2025
Oil major cites deteriorating demand and a planning debacle as it abandons one of UK’s largest blue hydrogen projects
1 December 2025
Project at Emden in northwest Germany due online in 2027, but wider ramp-up of clean hydrogen sector in Germany will require overhaul of government policy, company warns
25 November 2025
The northwest African country’s vision of integrating green power, molecules and steel is alive and kicking, and serves as a reminder of hydrogen’s transformative potential
19 November 2025
The creation of ‘lead markets’ to generate hydrogen demand in the EU has potential, but implementation would pose complex challenges for producers and industrial offtakers
