SWOT analysis of the EMR hydrogen sector

A study was carried out to record the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the economy in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine region with regards to hydrogen. This SWOT analysis of the EMR hydrogen sector was conducted by BET on behalf of the Department of Economics, Science, Digitization and Europe of the City of Aachen (project partner). BET is a leading consultancy firm for the energy and water industry.

The study analyzed the documents already published in the course of the EMR H2 Booster. In addition, relevant studies by third parties that have focused on the affected region were also be considered. Furthermore, any stakeholders in the region along the value chain were analyzed and classified along the SWOT matrix.

Based on the SWOT analysis, some pivotal findings have been summarized, and recommendations have been deduced:

• EMR combines worldwide leading players in R&D and industrial sectors and a capable infrastructure with an established practice of cross-border cooperation. Nevertheless, a successful ramp-up of a regional hydrogen economy requires further efforts.
• The utilization of funding opportunities must be facilitated by decreasing bureaucratic hurdles to achieve a maximum supporting effect for regional innovation. This requires cross-border efforts of politics and administrations.
• Future hydrogen demand should be enquired for individual industrial clusters. Networks within those clusters facilitate exchange of know-how and experiences among companies. The initiation of such clusters should be supported to raise awareness among existing businesses and industries that hydrogen may be relevant to them in the future.
• A high number of worldwide leading R&D institutions are situated within the EMR. The economic impact of this advantage can be expanded by further supporting the networking between R&D sector and industry along the hydrogen value chain.
• The future hydrogen demand in the region will likely be larger than local production potential. Connection to a hydrogen transmission network will therefore be crucial to ensure reliable supply with hydrogen for all types of applications.

Consult the full SWOT analysis (pre-final version), also downloadable on our Studies page.