Hydrogen in the Energy Transition: Benefits and Challenges

Environmental Defense Fund Japan Foundation (EDF Japan) cordially invites you to join our workshop on Hydrogen in the Energy Transition: Benefits and Challenges, on Tuesday, May 27, from 9:30 AM until 3:00 PM.          

Over the past few years, hydrogen has surged on a wave of attention and financial commitments for its potential to help decarbonize the global economy. As a carbon-free fuel, it holds promise for emissions reductions, particularly in heavy industry, long-distance transport, and other hard-to-abate sectors that lack other decarbonization options. 

At the same time, unlocking hydrogen’s potential requires carefully evaluating how it is produced, transported, used, and monitored. As hydrogen systems begin to expand globally, we have a timely opportunity to shape their development in ways that maximize benefits efficiently and cost-effectively.  

This workshop aims to facilitate discourse and share best practices on maximizing hydrogen’s climate benefits. The event will cover a wide range of topics on hydrogen, including its scientific fundamentals, key policy developments in major economies, emissions management along the hydrogen value chain, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Bringing together stakeholders from policy, science, industry, and finance — from Japan and abroad — the event will explore key questions shaping the future of hydrogen, including: 

• Where does hydrogen add the most value, and where can we rely on alternatives?  
• How can we take a full-system view of hydrogen’s impacts, including not just CO₂ but also methane and hydrogen emissions?
• What can be done to minimize leaks and emissions across the hydrogen value chain to avoid compromising the intended climate benefits, and how do we credibly track progress?

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the critical considerations involved in hydrogen’s deployment, exploring the challenges and opportunities hydrogen presents in achieving decarbonization goals.

Logistics:

• This is an invite-only event and media will not be present.
• Zoom access will be provided closer to the event for registered virtual participants. 
• Simultaneous interpretation will be provided. 
• For registration information, please reach out to contact.japan@edf.org    

AGENDA

9:00 AM                            Venue Opens: Coffee and Registration

9:30 AM                            Opening remarks:

Mak Brownstein, Senior Vice President, Energy Transition, EDF

Hiro Shirakawa, Region Chief, EDF Japan

9:50 AM                            Panel I – Hydrogen – An Introduction 

This panel will provide a foundational overview of hydrogen’s role in the energy transition, including key applications, emerging global trends, and insights on emissions and lifecycle impacts. It will also touch on how inventory methods, including those under development by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are approaching hydrogen-related emissions.

Moderator: Hanling Yang, Associate Vice President, Energy Transition, EDF

1. Yoshikazu Kobayashi, Senior Research Director, Manager, Research Strategy Group; Assistant Director, Research Strategy Unit, New Energy System Group, Clean Energy Unit, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
2. Steven Hamburg, Chief Scientist, EDF (virtual participation)
3. Takeshi Enoki, Co-Chair, Taskforce on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, IPCC; Technical Support Unit Scientific Senior Advisor, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

10:55 AM                         Panel II – Policy in Japan and around the world – Global Update

Panel II will cover global hydrogen policy, focusing on Japan, the US, and the EU. Speakers will discuss balancing speed with robust frameworks, setting credible standards, and aligning policies with energy transition goals, along with opportunities for international collaboration.

Moderator: Mina Berkow, Senior Director, Energy Transition, EDF

1. Sho Ito, Senior Consultant, Sustainability Business Consulting Department, Nomura Research Institute
2. Marta Olender, Counsellor, Energy and Climate, Delegation of the European Union to Japan
3. Mark Brownstein, Senior Vice President, Energy Transition, EDF

12:00 PM                          Break for Lunch 

1:30 PM                            Panel III – Upstream Emissions Management / Supply Chain 

Finally, panel III will explore upstream emissions management and supply chain dynamics in hydrogen. The discussion will focus on the importance of addressing emissions, the role of CCS in the hydrogen value chain, and opportunities for international collaboration to ensure robust emissions tracking and best practices.

Moderator: Yasuo Murakami, Senior Business Development Lead, Global CCS Institute

1. Tomás de Oliveira Bredariol, Energy Analyst, World Energy Outlook, Directorate of. Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks, International Energy Agency (IEA), (virtual participation) 
2. Dr. Katherine Romanak, Research Professor, Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (video recording)
3. Yoshihiro Sawada, Corporate Adviser and General Manager of International Affairs Department, Japan CCS
4. Nor A’in Md Salleh, General Manager, Carbon Capture & Storage, Carbon Management Division, PETRONAS

3:00 PM                            Concluding Remarks

Hiro Shirakawa, Japan Region Chief, EDF Japan       

Adjourn workshop