Tarek Helmi: “Hydrogen Is Becoming Serious Business, Policy Needs to Catch Up”
At the H2A Symposium 2025, Tarek Helmi, Partner at Deloitte and a long-time advisor to governments and industries on energy transition, opened the day with a keynote that set the tone: the hydrogen economy is entering a new, more demanding phase. What’s needed now is not more ambition, but faster execution and policy that matches market realities.
“Hydrogen is no longer just about decarbonisation,” Helmi said. “It’s now also a matter of energy resilience and industrial policy, especially for cities like Amsterdam that are positioning themselves as future hubs.”
Helmi has worked with stakeholders in and around the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region for years, and his message was both encouraging and challenging: the region is making visible progress, but regulatory pace must accelerate to stay competitive.
Bridging the Gap: From Vision to Volume
Referencing recent findings from Deloitte and conversations with hydrogen developers, Helmi described a policy landscape that has matured, but remains too slow and fragmented. “We have ambitious national and European targets, but without clear mechanisms on the demand side, infrastructure and production remain risky bets,” he said.
He pointed to upcoming tools such as demand aggregation platforms and mandatory offtake obligations as crucial developments, especially in urban industrial regions like Amsterdam. These mechanisms are designed to pool demand across sectors, from mobility to heavy industry, and send strong market signals that justify investment in production and infrastructure.
“Local clarity matters. If Amsterdam wants to lead, it must ensure that regulations, permits, and infrastructure plans are transparent, timely, and built with offtakers in mind,” Helmi urged.
A Wake-Up Call on Timelines
Throughout the interview, Helmi stressed that policy uncertainty is now the single biggest bottleneck. “The money is there. The technology is ready. What is missing is coordinated, confident execution,” he said. He warned that slow regulatory action could push developers and investors toward other regions with simpler, faster frameworks, especially outside of Europe.
“Hydrogen projects don’t fail for lack of interest,” Helmi concluded. “They fail in the silence between ambition and action.”
His keynote was a call to arms, not for more plans, but for real delivery. And for Amsterdam and the Netherlands at large, that means aligning city-level action with national and EU frameworks, while giving early movers the certainty they need to build.