ValHyCon

North-West Europe faces a shared challenge: scaling up hydrogen valleys beyond fragmented local projects. Although several hydrogen valleys have emerged, their development remains uncoordinated, with no shared roadmap or integrated planning. This slows progress towards the large-scale deployment of hydrogen in NWE and limits the region’s ability to lead in the clean hydrogen economy. ValHyCon’s overall objective is to enable the large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen in North-West Europe by developing, scaling, and connecting hydrogen valleys towards a coherent ecosystem. The project promotes structured knowledge exchange, develop scaling and connection scenarios, and delivers a joint implementation strategy for the 2030–2040 period. Three specific objectives guide the project: - Strengthening valley development through peer learning and capacity-building (WP1) - Establishing pilot cases and scenarios for scaling and interconnection, including studies on physical links such as hydrogen backbones and modular transport (WP2) - Delivering a coordinated implementation strategy with investment and policy priorities (WP3) The project will produce (outputs): - Pilot cases testing inter-regional hydrogen valley connectivity; - A final guidebook compiling practical insights, methods, and policy recommendations; - The NWE Hydrogen Implementation Strategy 2030–2040, a strategic roadmap for long-term hydrogen deployment. Key beneficiaries include public authorities, valley developers, infrastructure operators, SMEs, industrial players, and research institutions, who will gain tools and guidance to accelerate hydrogen deployment. ValHyCon stands out by focusing not on new pilots but on strategic governance and planning. It supports the shift from pilot projects to large-scale, integrated systems, offering a replicable model for hydrogen valley collaboration in Europe and beyond.