Hydrogen
Overview
Hydrogen is an increasingly important piece in the decarbonisation puzzle. Industrial players are seeking ways to take carbon emissions out of their hydrogen production processes, while green hydrogen producers see the gas as a viable outright alternative to hydrocarbons.
Future production routes range from methane reformation with carbon capture to pyrolysis, waste gasification and electrolysis, powered by renewable energy or fossil fuels. Combinations of processes and energy being used to produce hydrogen presents existing users of industrial heat and key chemicals a challenging landscape to navigate.
The Argus Hydrogen and Future Fuels service has been designed to provide industrial power, chemicals and energy users with crucial information to help them make well informed decisions. It covers the upstream for projects, midstream for transportation and storage, and downstream for ammonia and methanol. It also covers the latest technological developments and policy news on hydrogen from across the globe.
Latest hydrogen news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global hydrogen industry.
IMO net-zero framework consensus remains elusive
IMO net-zero framework consensus remains elusive
London, 1 May (Argus) — Consensus at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84) this week remained elusive, with the US leading countries opposed to the proposed Net-Zero Framework (NZF) for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. By late Friday evening, the majority of member states reached an agreement on the J7 document, which sets out future work for the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships to be held between now and November. The current proposed draft of the NZF , would require ships to reduce their fuel intensity by at least 4pc in 2028, rising to 30pc in 2035, creating a global carbon levy for shipping emissions. The creation of the NZF was approved at MEPC 83 in April 2025, but the planned approval of the regulation in October 2025 was postponed to this October because of a lack of consensus. Countries this week reviewed and debated plans for the proposed NZF, in hopes of finding consensus ahead of the October vote. Several countries this week sought to reshape the NZF proposal, with changes to the GHG pricing mechanism and global fuel intensity (GFI) guidelines. But the atmosphere at MEPC 84 was markedly more constructive than in the October meeting, some delegates told Argus . Formal adoptions at MEPC 84 focused on ballast water management, marine plastic litter and bio fouling, while discussions on the decarbonisation of the shipping industry were treated as preparatory ahead of the planned October vote. IMO officials repeatedly framed the talks as an effort to avoid a repeat of last year's breakdown and to prepare the ground for agreement later this year. Proposals by Liberia and Japan As part of the dialogue this week, member states proposed 57 amendments to the NZF. Several delegations reiterated their support for the revised NZF proposal submitted by Liberia, co-sponsored by Argentina and Panama, and a delegate told Argus this appears to be the main suggestion considered by IMO member states. The Liberian proposal calls for adjusting the Global Fuel Intensity (GFI) trajectory to reflect the demonstrated availability and uptake of low-carbon fuels, rather than fixed aspirational targets, and proposes to remove the creation of an IMO-managed fund financed by penalty payments. Under the proposal, fuels would qualify as compliant only if they meet defined viability criteria, including affordability, availability and scalability, with costs capped at no more than 15pc above conventional bunker fuels. But member states' views diverged mainly on the IMO-managed fund and the penalty payments determined in the draft on which members failed to reach consensus in October 2025. Japan's proposal also emerged strengthened from the meeting, a delegate said. The submission seeks the removal of mandatory payments to the IMO Net-Zero Fund. Instead, Japan proposes that compliance deficits should be balanced solely through market mechanisms, allowing ships to meet obligations by transferring surplus units generated by over compliant vessels. The proposal also calls for easing the Global Fuel Intensity (GFI) reduction trajectory from 2030 onwards. Continued lack of consensus The US, Russia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and others were opposed to the framework, while the EU, UK, China, Brazil and India were in favour. US delegate and Federal Maritime Commission chair Laura DiBella said the NZF is an unnecessary tax on US shippers and vessels operating in international waters. "The NZF would cost the maritime industry billions of dollars annually," DiBella said. "As the largest consumer of imported goods, these costs will be directly passed onto US consumers." Last year, the US threatened to retaliate against countries that backed the proposal. The deferral of the vote last October caused price declines in several alternative bunker fuel markets last year. Without at least a two-thirds majority consensus in favour of the framework, the IMO could potentially vote to adjourn or reject the NZF in October. Despite the conflict of views, IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez emphasised progress made in inter-sessional talks on the technical backbone of the framework, particularly GHG fuel intensity calculation guidelines, fuel certification and life cycle assessment methodologies. MEPC 84 discussions also covered how to treat technologies such as onboard carbon capture and storage (CCS), for which the IMO is drafting a future framework. The IMO on Wednesday agreed to designate the North-East Atlantic ocean as an emissions control area (ECA). This should boost demand for lower emission bunker fuels, such as very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), particularly for European LNG bunker markets, where methane slippage has increased in importance. By Madeleine Jenkins and Gabriel Tassi Lara Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Can collective buying solve the e-fuel offtake problem?
Can collective buying solve the e-fuel offtake problem?
Buyers clubs can secure more competitive terms than bilateral deals, and are making inroads in the maritime and aviation sectors, writes Pamela Machado Paris, 28 April (Argus) — Securing offtake remains the key barrier to progress for hydrogen and e-fuel projects, with producers and buyers struggling to align on the long-term commitments and pricing structures needed to secure financing. Collective procurement schemes, primarily aimed at reducing emissions from the aviation and maritime sectors, are emerging as a potential mechanism to break this deadlock. Initiatives such as the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (Saba) and the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (Zemba) are playing a growing role in facilitating offtake for e-fuels. They aggregate demand from large corporates seeking to cut Scope 3 emissions — from across a company's value chain — and use this pooled demand to tender for clean fuel use in freight and transport services. Members of these alliances include multinationals such as Amazon, Ikea, Microsoft and food and beverage firm Mondelez. Through competitive tenders, Saba and Zemba have contracted air and maritime transport providers that are committing to using a share of e-fuels. Member companies pay the premium associated with e-fuel use and will receive the environmental attributes associated with this through certificates issued under a book-and-claim system. Such collective buying mechanisms are a win-win situation for companies and e-fuel producers, industry participants say. Saba and Zemba members "benefit from the economies of scale associated with a collective procurement model", allowing them to secure more competitive terms than what would be possible through bilateral deals, Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) managing director Andre de Fontaine tells Argus . GMA co-manages Saba, working alongside the Environmental Defense Fund and the Rocky Mountains Institute. Buyers are also increasingly worried about fossil fuel price volatility caused by geopolitical tensions. Beyond cutting emissions, collective buying can help them "future-proof their supply chains", Zemba chief executive Ingrid Irigoyen says. Confidence to invest For producers, aggregated demand offers the scale and duration needed for investment decisions. It provides the "long-term offtake certainty needed to support new supply and attract project financing", US developer Infinium's strategy and solutions senior vice-president, Liz Myers, says. Infinium was recently selected to supply synthetic aviation fuel (e-SAF) through a Saba tender. The arrangements "simplify the offtake process for producers" and offer members a reliable framework that ensures fuels meet certain sustainability standards, Myers says. Infinium expects to supply e-SAF to American Airlines from 2029, while shipping line Hapag Lloyd — one of the winners of Zemba's most recent tender — plans to burn e-methanol on a transoceanic route from 2027. Both initiatives also facilitate offtake of biofuels, particularly during initial tenders. But feedstock availability constraints and expectations for potential future price increases prompted a shift in strategy. After Zemba's first tender selected waste-based biomethane as a shipping fuel, the group focused on enabling e-fuels in a second round, because e-fuels offer greater long-term scalability, near-zero emissions and the potential for price reductions as markets mature, Irigoyen says. Neither Saba nor Zemba receives public funding and financial commitments to offtake must ultimately come from members. For now, Scope 3 emissions reductions remain largely voluntary — although reporting is required in some jurisdictions, including the EU. Collective buying is therefore not a magic formula that will by itself nurture a wider e-fuels ecosystem beyond infancy. But it is already providing a tangible demand signal to developers and has helped to unlock offtake in some cases where bilateral negotiations may have stalled. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Shipping needs pragmatic decarbonisation approach: IMO
Shipping needs pragmatic decarbonisation approach: IMO
Singapore, 24 April (Argus) — The maritime sector's push towards net-zero emissions suffered a "small setback" at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting last October, but the industry needs a "pragmatic" approach given the current geopolitical climate, IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said at the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) conference this week. The focus on decarbonisation "is not diminished", said Dominguez, adding that research and investment into decarbonising the sector is still ongoing. Freedom of navigation and the safety of crew remains top of mind for the maritime industry, and the IMO has proposed an evacuation framework for affected vessels in the Mideast Gulf. The sector is keeping close watch on the 84th Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) that will be held in London next week, and key shipping groups have expressed support for the IMO's greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction ambitions ahead of the session. The US-Iran war foregrounds the energy trilemma between energy security, affordability, and sustainability, said SMW panellists, noting the maritime sector needs to balance all three components for a resilient transition to greener fuels, particularly as the shipping sector is "pulled in many directions" given short-term supply shocks and regional regulations. Recent supply shocks have shown countries need to diversify their economy and source for alternative fuel options, said Dominguez. But panellists emphasised that cost barriers have slowed the shift to greener fuels, since affordability requires scale and investment. One of the things that would drive the scale-up and investment in greener fuels is the certainty of regulations, said Stefan Nysjo, head of power supply at Finnish engine manufacturer Wartsila Marine Power. Supportive policies are "important when you're entering a market where there is no market", said ExxonMobil Asia Pacific chairman and managing director Geraldine Chin. A carbon accounting system underpinned by transparency is the way forward, said Chin, stressing that carbon intensity systems must be implemented on a total life cycle basis, and gradually such that it doesn't shock the market. Decarbonisation solutions "must be economic" and the market must depend on new technologies that would support the uptake of alternative fuels like ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol, she said. But several panellists noted that businesses are not waiting for regulations to be fixed before deciding what to do in terms of decarbonisation. We have to look at "what are the options today… and not in 20 years", said Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) head of maritime policy and government affairs Marie-Caroline Laurent. MSC had chosen the LNG pathway with the hope of progressing to bio-methane and e-methane in the future, although they are not closed to other fuel options. "The choice was a very practical one," said Laurent. Maersk has committed to low-carbon fuel options, with methanol being one of them, said its management and technology Leonardo Sonzio. The Danish container liner has net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2040, with intermediate targets by 2030. Smaller shipping firms may not have the luxury of choosing several fuel pathways, said shipping firm CMB.Tech's chief executive Alexander Saverys. Decarbonisation can only pick up when the cost of alternative fuels becomes "cheap compared to diesel", said Saverys, adding that CMB.Tech had chosen the ammonia pathway given its usage in other industrial sectors. Economist Martin Stopford said a lot of the "low hanging fruits" have been picked in the past 50 years, driven by demand for energy from crude, and the "move to a new era" of cleaner fuels would require higher costs, deeper knowledge and further efforts in development. By Cassia Teo Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
UK's Atome takes FID on Paraguay green fertilizer plant
UK's Atome takes FID on Paraguay green fertilizer plant
Paris, 24 April (Argus) — UK fertilizer company Atome has taken a final investment decision (FID) on its 260,000 t/yr Villeta green fertilizers project in Paraguay. The decision follows several delays to the project, caused by engineering-phase setbacks. Atome listed on the London Stock Exchange in December 2021 and initially aimed to reach FID by mid-2022. Construction is planned to start "shortly" following FID and full production is expected to begin in or before October 2029, Atome said. The $665mn Villeta project is the largest electrolysis project to pass FID in Latin America. It will have a 120MW electrolyser, which will be powered by hydropower from state-owned utility Ande. Atome has secured financing for the Villeta project from a number of multilateral institutions and development banks, including the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank. But unlike most hydrogen projects globally, Atome has managed to reach FID without government subsidies. The project's equity investment is led by French hydrogen-focused fund Hy24 . Fertilizers produced in Villeta will be supplied to Norway's Yara under a binding 10-year offtake deal agreed last year , aiming to serve demand in South America. By Pamela Machado Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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