The Final Word: Ecolog CEO Ellen Ruhotas Charts the Path for Liquid Hydrogen at Scale
The final keynote of the 2025 H2A Symposium belonged to Ellen Ruhotas, CEO of Ecolog, and she was not disappointed. With her trademark energy and clarity, Ellen took the stage and immediately shook the room awake. Not just with her delivery, but with a message grounded in engineering, courage, and real-world execution.
In a talk that blended technical insight with historical reflection, Ellen walked the audience through the story of liquid hydrogen, not as a distant vision, but as an infrastructure reality already taking shape. “We’re not theorizing,” she said. “We’re building.”
Starting with lessons from the early LNG pioneers, Ellen reminded the room that today’s most established supply chains once seemed unthinkable. That same leap, from doubt to delivery, is now happening with liquid hydrogen. Ecolog, she explained, is developing a complete value chain: from low-cost hydrogen production in sun and wind rich regions like Oman and Chile, to liquefaction, long-distance shipping, storage, and last-mile distribution across Europe.
A highlight of the keynote was the announcement that Ecolog has secured land in Amsterdam’s Afrikahaven Oost to build what will become the world’s largest liquid hydrogen terminal. Designed to handle up to 600,000 tonnes annually, the terminal is being developed in close collaboration with local permitting authorities, the fire brigade, and infrastructure partners like Gasunie and Firan. It will offer multiple connection points for pipelines, rail, barge, and road, enabling seamless integration into Europe’s future hydrogen backbone.
Ellen spoke in detail about the cryogenic technology behind zero boil-off tanks and ships, drawing on Ecolog’s experience managing over 30 LNG vessels worldwide, and why these innovations are key to making hydrogen transport commercially viable. “Every kilo in must equal a kilo out,” she said, underscoring the importance of system integrity and energy efficiency.
But Ellen didn’t just talk infrastructure. She issued a challenge to the room: “We don’t need more studies, we need users. The willing, the courageous, the like-minded.” She highlighted offtakers already stepping forward, from steel and chemicals to data centers and mobility, and called for stronger demand-side coalitions to accelerate the shift from supply availability to market certainty.
In closing, Ellen left the audience with a call to action. “The solution isn’t waiting for someone else. It’s here. It’s us. Let’s get on with it.”
As the final voice of the symposium, Ellen captured the spirit of the day: bold, grounded, and ready to move. Liquid hydrogen isn’t a future idea, it’s arriving now.