Driving Downstream Demand | Green Hydrogen Summit Panel at ADSW 2026

Описание: Moderated by Karim Elegendy, Executive Director at Carbon Institute, this panel examines whether downstream demand can scale fast enough to match green hydrogen production ambitions. Dr Sebastian Leggendorf, Founder and CEO of Meranti Green Steel, highlights the MENA region’s readiness to lead green iron and steel through phased hydrogen integration and strong policy certainty rather than subsidies. Martijn van Kooten, Executive Board Member at OMV, and Niels van Buuren, Executive Vice President of Methanol and Business Development at Power2X, point to methanol and sustainable aviation fuel as the most credible near-term demand anchors, supported by regulation and customer pull. Dr Juergen Rechberger, VP Hydrogen and Energy and Group VP at AVL, and Dr Manfred Schuchert, VP International Hydrogen Strategy at Daimler Truck, stress that transport demand will be great but requires coordinated infrastructure, affordable hydrogen, and government-backed de-risking. Haroon Rahmatullah, Chief Commercial and Growth Officer at Fertiglobe, positions ammonia as a proven hydrogen carrier with growing industrial relevance, while noting affordability limits in fertilizers and the region’s advantage in execution speed and scale.

Key takeaways:

· Aviation fuels, methanol-based pathways, and industrial chemicals represent the strongest near-term demand signals for green hydrogen.
· Stable, long-term policy frameworks matter more than subsidies, which risk solving CAPEX while leaving OPEX uncompetitive.
· Coordinated infrastructure, CO₂ pricing, and international alignment are essential to turn hydrogen ambition into bankable demand.