After the rush? (Re)theorising the global hydrogen conjuncture

Eric Cezne is a new postdoctoral researcher at the African Studies Centre Leiden, working on the political geographies of energy transitions and decarbonisation in Africa, especially in the realm of green hydrogen. On 3-4 March, Eric organised a stimulating workshop at the ASCL and in Rotterdam, bringing together social science scholars working on hydrogen energy in the Global South.

The hydrogen rush has been characterised by intense speculation, but this speculative fervour is yet to materialise into offtake and final investment. Participants discussed questions about how benefits and risks are distributed, whose energy futures are being imagined and promoted, and how hydrogen intersects with other histories of extraction, particularly across African and Latin American geographies.

The workshop included a discussion at the ASCL, a dialogue with hydrogen-focused start-ups and business associations at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a field visit to the Port of Rotterdam. The Port is set to play a crucial role in global hydrogen trade and is spearheading a series of hydrogen agreements and partnerships with port authorities and governments in the Global South.

A big thank you to Will Monteith, Queen Mary University London, and Vinzenz Bäumer Escobar, Erasmus University Rotterdam, for organising this insightful workshop together, and to the participants, who came from countries as varied as Brazil, Nigeria, Germany, the United States, the UK, and the Netherlands.