The annual conference, a key event for signatories of the Sectoral Agreement, provides a platform to review progress and outline future goals for Poland’s hydrogen economy. This year, Paulina Henning-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, awarded organisations making significant contributions to hydrogen technology and infrastructure development.

‘Hydrogen is no longer a fuel of the future – it is the fuel of today, offering a transformative path to climate neutrality,’ said Grzegorz Jóźwiak, Director of ORLEN’s Hydrogen and Synthetic Fuels Technology Office, who accepted the awards on behalf of the company. ‘Low- and zero-emission hydrogen presents an effective solution for reducing the carbon footprint of industrial processes as well as heavy and urban transport. These projects reflect ORLEN’s commitment to pioneering effective decarbonisation solutions.’

The awards, determined by the Hydrogen Economy Coordination Council – a body comprising 45 representatives from public administration, business, and academia – highlight all three innovative initiatives presented by ORLEN.

Clean Cities – Hydrogen mobility in Poland
This flagship programme is designed to build a comprehensive hydrogen fuel value chain tailored to the transport sector. ORLEN has already made significant progress, launching public hydrogen refuelling stations and initiating hydrogen fuel deliveries for municipal transport in Poznań and Katowice in 2024. As part of its commitment to advancing sustainable mobility, ORLEN is piloting the use of hydrogen fuel in public road transport across Poland. To date, the company has delivered over 90 thousand kg of automotive-grade hydrogen to cities including Poznań, Wałbrzych, Płock, and Włocławek, fuelling buses from leading manufacturers such as Solaris, ArturBus, Autosan, and Mercedes.

Clean Cities has attracted substantial support, securing approximately EUR 76 million in non-repayable funding from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility, alongside PLN 20 million from Poland's National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. In a testament to its scale and ambition, the third phase of the programme received the largest hydrogen-related grant ever awarded under the Connecting Europe Facility.

H2 Academy
The H2 Academy, an educational initiative by ORLEN, is dedicated to cultivating expertise in advanced hydrogen technologies. Designed to bridge the gap between business and academia, the programme fosters collaboration to drive innovation and development in the hydrogen sector.

Combining theoretical instruction with practical, hands-on training at production facilities and R&D centres, the H2 Academy has already equipped 60 participants with specialised knowledge over two successful editions. Graduates gain invaluable experience working alongside industry experts, with top performers earning paid internships that provide opportunities to apply their skills in real-world settings. The programme runs annually and takes place at key locations across Poland and Europe, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience first-hand how hydrogen technologies are applied across diverse industries.

Automotive-grade hydrogen quality testing laboratories
The development of hydrogen as a next-generation alternative fuel relies on establishing infrastructure capable of verifying its exceptional quality – particularly its purity.

In February 2024, ORLEN achieved a significant milestone with the launch of an automotive hydrogen quality testing facility in Trzebinia. This state-of-the-art laboratory, the first of its kind in Poland and one of only three worldwide, has earned accreditation for advanced hydrogen testing methods from the Polish Centre for Accreditation. This accreditation, a crucial endorsement for hydrogen fuel quality testing in Poland, represents the culmination of a rigorous three-year preparation process. The laboratory is equipped to analyse hydrogen purity with unparalleled precision, detecting contamination levels as low as one part per billion (ppb).

In total, the Ministry of Climate and Environment recognised five organisations for their contributions. Alongside ORLEN, the honourees included Gas System, Kraków University of Technology, the Lower Silesian Hydrogen Valley, and ArcelorMittal.

The Sectoral Agreement on Hydrogen Economy Development, signed by representatives of Poland’s government, business, and academia, serves as a key implementation tool for the Polish Hydrogen Strategy through 2030, with a perspective extending to 2040. As part of this agreement, the Hydrogen Economy Coordination Council was established, along with specialised working groups addressing critical areas such as hydrogen production, its applications, and the development of hydrogen valleys. These working groups bring together public administration, private sector representatives, and academic experts to develop solutions and recommendations aimed at achieving the agreement’s goals – advancing the hydrogen economy while emphasising the use of Polish resources and expertise (known as "local content").

Green Energy for Isolated Areas with Hydrogen Technology