On behalf of H2A and the Port of Amsterdam, thank you for joining us at the H2A Symposium 2026: “Hydrogen in a Fast-Changing World. Building European Resilience.”

We were delighted to welcome stakeholders from across industry, infrastructure, ports, government, finance, academia, and the wider hydrogen ecosystem for a day of meaningful discussion, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

The day was expertly guided by Rumaitha Al Busaidi, whose thoughtful moderation encouraged open dialogue and challenging conversations throughout the programme.

Following the opening remarks by Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen, the symposium began with a keynote from Lucia van Geuns, who explored hydrogen’s role in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape. Her presentation highlighted the intersection of energy security, industrial competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and resilience, reminding participants that hydrogen must be viewed within a much broader economic and geopolitical context.

The subsequent panel discussion on Lead Markets brought together Paul Vonk (Tata Steel Nederland), Stijn Grove (Dutch Data Center Association), Jasper Vos (Wienerberger), Stephan Bredewold (Fountain Fuel), and Volker Hasenberg (Daimler Truck AG). The discussion focused on what is needed to create demand for hydrogen at scale and how different sectors view hydrogen’s role in their decarbonization and growth strategies. Topics such as competitiveness, investment certainty, infrastructure availability, and the importance of creating viable business cases featured prominently throughout the conversation.

Break-out Sessions

During the breakout sessions, participants were able to dive deeper into specific topics and projects. Sessions led by EcoLog, Hydrogenious, Holthausen, EVOS and North Atlantic, Hydrom, University of Amsterdam, NLHydrogen, and the collaboration between Firan, Port of Amsterdam, Eneco Energy Trading and Bio Energy Netherlands showcased practical developments across the hydrogen value chain, from import corridors and liquid hydrogen logistics to infrastructure development, research, and market creation.

The afternoon keynote by Willemien Terpstra, CEO of Gasunie, reinforced the importance of infrastructure as a cornerstone of Europe’s future energy system. Her message underscored the need for continued investment, cooperation, and confidence in building the networks required to connect future hydrogen supply and demand.

Port of Amsterdam and Firan Hydrogen Announcement

A special milestone during the symposium was the announcement and signing between Firan and the Port of Amsterdam, marking another important step in developing hydrogen infrastructure within the North Sea Canal Area and supporting the growth of a regional hydrogen ecosystem. The foundation for the network is in place: the design has been completed, costs are clear, and preparations for permits have started. Read the full press release here. For more information on the joint vision of Port of Amsterdam and Firan Hydrogen on the realization of H2avennet, see also the position papers (Dutch & English) via the links.

Later in the day, we were proud to celebrate innovation and leadership in the hydrogen sector during the H2A Front Runner Award Ceremony, presented together with Nederland Waterstofland. This year’s award was presented to Holthausen, recognizing their long-standing commitment to hydrogen innovation and their pioneering efforts in bringing hydrogen solutions into practice.

The symposium concluded with a keynote by Dick Benschop, who reflected on Europe’s position in an increasingly uncertain world and the leadership required to navigate major economic and energy transitions. His closing remarks challenged participants to think beyond individual projects and consider the broader choices needed to strengthen Europe’s resilience and competitiveness in the years ahead.

Throughout the day, several themes emerged repeatedly: 

• The need to move from ambition to implementation.
• The importance of hydrogen for both decarbonization and economic resilience. 
• The critical role of infrastructure in enabling market development.
• The importance of creating lead markets and viable business cases.
• The value of collaboration across sectors, industries, and borders.

Most importantly, the symposium once again demonstrated the value of bringing together diverse perspectives from across the hydrogen ecosystem to challenge assumptions, exchange ideas, and identify pathways forward.

We would like to sincerely thank all speakers, panelists, moderators, sponsors, partners, and attendees for contributing to another successful H2A Symposium.

While the symposium is organised on an invitation-only basis, we welcome expressions of interest from those who would like to attend. Please reach out to the H2A Association (info@h2amsterdam.com) to explore the possibility of joining.

Further details on the 2027 programme and speakers will be shared in the vicinity of the H2A Symposium. 

Save the date | H2A Symposium 2027

We are pleased to share that the H2A Symposium will return on Thursday 24 June 2027, once again at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam. Please note that this date differs from the 17 June we communicated previously. The H2A Symposium will form part of Havenweek Amsterdam 2027, a city-wide programme of port, energy and maritime activities running from 18 to 27 June 2027. Although our H2A Symposium was already part of Havenweek this year, we will be making this connection much more prominent in 2027. We look forward to welcoming you then.