Hydrogen Valleys Days - 4–8 May 2026, Antwerp, Belgium

The event, now in its third edition, built on the successful work of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership in supporting Hydrogen Valleys across Europe. Under the title “Hydrogen Valleys: An Engine for Competitiveness in the Regions”, it brought together policymakers, industry leaders, investors, project developers and regional stakeholders to discuss how Hydrogen Valleys can help accelerate Europe’s clean hydrogen economy and strengthen competitiveness across its regions. 

The event explored how Hydrogen Valleys are moving from concept to implementation and how they can support the scale-up of hydrogen production and use in line with Europe’s broader energy and industrial objectives. The programme included discussions on the support framework for Hydrogen Valleys in Europe, lessons from ongoing projects, pathways towards FID-ready projects, and the actions still needed to connect valley practitioners, policymakers and investors. 

Participants also benefited from the unique presence of the Energy Observer vessel in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges throughout the Hydrogen Valleys Days. A pioneering vessel, Energy Observer is both a floating laboratory and an energy manifesto. Launched in 2017, this experimental catamaran was the first in the world to embed a complete onboard hydrogen energy chain combined with renewable energies and wind-assisted propulsion, demonstrating the viability of sustainable solutions in demanding maritime environments. 

Other events of the Hydrogen Valley Days (by invitation only) included: 

• Monday, 4 May – meeting of the Hydrogen Valley Projects funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership
• Thursday, 7 May, workshop on Hydrogen Mobility, jointly organised by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), showcasing mobility projects and wider applications.
• Stakeholder activities and site visits are also planned for Friday, 8 May. 

In addition, on Tuesday, 5 May took place the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance Forum organised by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs) — linking Hydrogen Valleys and other large flagship projects with the Alliance community to align project pipelines with industrial priorities, market uptake and investment perspectives. 

Presentations

Recording