Scotland and Singapore sign hydrogen MoU

February 17, 2023, by Aida Čučuk

The Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA) and its Singaporean counterpart, the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association of Singapore (HFCAS), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the organisations work together to promote mutually beneficial hydrogen and fuel cell technology, as well as industry exchange and development.

Under the MoU, both organisations committed to:

Identifying and overcoming common technology barriers to the production, distribution, storage, and use of hydrogen
Sharing best practices regarding hydrogen and fuel cell codes and regulations
Exchanging collateral such as whitepapers, case studies, and reports
Facilitating networking and communications between the SHFCA and the HFCAS via trade missions, conferences, exhibitions, workshops, webinars, and/ or meetings

Nigel Holmes, CEO of SHFCA, said: “This MoU between the HFCAS and SHFCA will build links that identify and develop trade and innovation opportunities between our members. This can help us to develop and share best practices in the deployment and safe use of low-carbon hydrogen technologies which will be critical for delivering net zero targets in both Scotland and Singapore.”

Noel Chin, President of HFCAS, stated: “HFCAS is delighted to establish this MoU with SHFCA. We believe that this will open up doorways for Singapore enterprises to explore pathways in working with Scottish companies on the Hydrogen ecosystem, and vice versa.”

“It would also forge closer ties and allow for the exchange of knowledge between Singapore and Scotland, and where both HFCAS and SHFCAS can work together in creating opportunities for our members to come together and discuss about potential partnerships and projects.”

HFCAS was formed in 2019, and since then, it has promoted the use of hydrogen and fuel cells to help in Singapore’s decarbonisation efforts and move towards a greener energy mix for power generation, mobility, and industrial applications.

SHFCA, which has more than 180 members from across the industry, academia, and the public sector, was established in 2004. It promotes and develops expertise in fuel cells and hydrogen technologies.

Scottish Government Business Minister Ivan McKee, who is in South-East Asia on a week-long visit to further enhance trade and investment links between Scotland and the region, attended the MoU signing ceremony.

He said: “I am looking forward to engaging closely with the HFCAS to increase awareness of Scotland’s strengths in hydrogen production and supply. The signing of this MoU between HFCAS and SHFCA is an important milestone as we continue to strive towards reaching our net-zero commitments.”

His visit was arranged by the Scottish Development International (SDI)’s team of trade and investment specialists based in South-East Asia.

Jan Robertson, Director of Global Trade at SDI, commented: “Singapore is a market of growing importance to Scottish exporters, offering a gateway to the wider South-East Asia region.”

“With Singapore recently committing to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, there is scope for Scottish expertise in hydrogen technologies to be utilised here. This MoU will enhance sectoral links and potentially generate trade opportunities for companies in Scotland.”

“The visit of Mr McKee to Singapore has showcased Scotland’s strengths across priority sectors of ours, such as Space, Food & Drink and Energy Transition. Our SDI in-market colleagues will continue to tirelessly promote Scotland’s world-class products and services across the South-East Asia region, opening doors for Scottish firms in the process.”

In January this year, the Scottish government released a draft energy strategy, which aims to shape the country’s next 25 years of energy production, and one of the key points is the export of electricity and renewable hydrogen to support decarbonisation.