PICTURE: Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, and key stakeholders

On Friday 8 November, over 130 business representatives, politicians, academics and policy makers came together for the East Midlands Hydrogen Summit 2024 at Loughborough University.

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, was the keynote speaker at the event. Mayor Claire shared with delegates her vision for decarbonising the region and stimulating inclusive growth. She also emphasised the importance of building skills for a greener economy, so that young people are well equipped for the jobs of the future, and outlined the importance of our partners to help us drive and demonstrate innovation in hydrogen deployment and capability, at the regional and the national level.

Dr Jeevun Sandher MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hydrogen and MP for Loughborough, also spoke at the summit and emphasised the importance of investing in clean energy and explained how he’s influencing and making the case for hydrogen. The APPG for Hydrogen focuses on raising awareness of, and building support for, large scale hydrogen projects to help the country meet decarbonisation targets.

The summit showcased the East Midlands’ leading role in driving decarbonisation and was brought together by East Midlands Hydrogen, an industry-led initiative supporting the region’s energy revolution by growing the UK’s largest inland hydrogen cluster.

Senior representatives from the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), Cadent and the East Midlands Freeport, outlined the investments, advances and innovation underway in the region.

Delegates also heard from East Midlands Hydrogen Consortium partners and members who are playing their part in establishing the full hydrogen value chain, from production, distribution and industrial end use, forecasted to result in carbon dioxide emissions savings of at least 1.9 million tonnes per year, equivalent to removing gas-related carbon emissions of 860,000 homes per year.