The European Hydrogen Safety Panel

The European Hydrogen Safety Panel (EHSP) was launched by the FCH 2 JU in 2017, with the mission to:

• assist the FCH 2 JU at programme and project levels, and beyond, in assuring that hydrogen safety is adequately addressed and managed
• to promote and disseminate hydrogen safety knowledge and culture within and outside of the FCH 2 JU programme

As hydrogen safety is an active area of research that supports the implementation and operation of hydrogen systems, the EHSP provides the FCH JU with a unique, practical and direct access to state-of-the-art expert judgment for all issues regarding hydrogen safety. It improves the transfer of safety knowledge across project boundaries and establishes a consistent communication about safety performance.

Target audience

Beyond the FCH 2 JU programme, the EHSP provides impartial expertise and objective information to relevant stakeholders, including the public. The EHSP supports stakeholders on issues related to hydrogen safety, including general advice, safety reviews, and accident investigations, thus promoting the development of strong safety cultures in organisations engaged in hydrogen technologies.

EHSP main activities

Hydrogen will play an essential role as a clean and sustainable energy carrier. To bring the benefits of hydrogen to society, hydrogen technologies must be safely developed and used across a variety of applications and sectors. The activities of the EHSP aim at safe production, transport, storage, operation, handling and use of hydrogen and fuel cell systems across all installations and applications:

• Reviewing annual and multi-annual work plans for the FCH 2 JU at various stages
• Populating and analysing the HIAD 2.0 database and summarising lessons learnt
• Reviewing the progress achieved in the field of hydrogen safety, including the cross-cutting projects funded by FCH 2 JU
• Coordinating integration of lessons learnt, innovative safety technologies and engineering solutions
• Providing guidance and training on safety planning and safety culture
• Sharing safety knowledge and best practices with stakeholders
• Highlighting safety as a prerequisite for successful deployment of hydrogen technologies
• Publishing annual progress reports on recent developments and analysis of critical knowledge gaps and technological bottlenecks in the field of hydrogen safety

Hydrogen systems can be as safe as systems based on conventional energy carriers, provided the specific properties of hydrogen and the hydrogen system are properly addressed. To this end, it is important to disseminate knowledge, competence and safety culture to all stakeholders in the technological value chain: design, manufacturing, assembly, operation, maintenance, decommissioning, first responders, training, education, etc.

Contact

Get in contact with the EHSP by email at EHSP@fchj.europa.eu