Importing hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives: Export countries

In many climate protection scenarios, hydrogen plays an important role as an energy carrier and raw material. With the increasing importance of hydrogen, the question of possible supplier countries is increasing. A high level of diversity in the supplying countries reduces the risk of import dependency but could lead to higher import costs. This paper evaluates potential hydrogen supplier countries based on a mix of methods. With the help of various indicators, the technical, economic, social, and political conditions as well as infrastructure and environmental aspects in possible supplier countries are analyzed first. An expert-based approach takes into account other aspects and information that cannot be captured via the indicators. After considering geopolitical, developmental, and energy supply policy goals, a ranking of supplier countries is conducted. It shows that only a few countries fulfill all the criteria. Overall, from a long-term perspective, countries from the South, Central American, and MENA regions are particularly suitable, while industrialized countries, among others EU countries, are suitable as supplier countries from a short-term perspective.