Jon van Oostrom

425 years of bilateral trade and cooperation … the Netherlands and Japan have “common ground”. Not least on energy. That was the vibe at a summit in Osaka this week between Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Hermans and the Japanese Government. The focus was offshore wind and hydrogen - plus grids, electrification and energy security. Industry CEOs and local government leaders fed in the detail. I had the honour of moderating. Conclusions: 👉 investments in clean tech need to happen yesterday. But they must be the right ones; 👉 the private investments needed require public financial support - to share risk and ensure there’s a business case. Both Governments are injecting significant amounts of money: 👉 the wider public policy has to be right too. On permitting. And with clear signals on how much new kit and infrastructure governments want - and where and when; 👉 scale is key to reduce costs. But there has to be a local vision too … 👉 … because local citizens need to understand why things are being built and to feel that they are benefitting. Dutch and Japanese companies are already collaborating on individual projects. And more will come. Forget the distance. Europe and Japan are natural partners. As the late Shinzo Abe said, the Japan-EU Economic Partnership represents “the world’s largest free industrialised economic zone”.

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Methanol’s Surprise Rise & Hydrogen’s Decline In Dutch Scenarios At the end of my engagement with TenneT, the Dutch transmission system operator, I sat down with colleagues from the 2050 target grid scenario workshops to reflect on what we had uncovered. CleanTechnica transcript: https://lnkd.in/gs4S-9Jw Apple: https://lnkd.in/gWD-X3nB Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gPCmjtz3 We dug into everything from the role of building fabric in electrification, to the economics of steel decarbonization, to what fuels shipping and aviation will actually use. The conversations were sharp and sometimes contentious, but that’s where the most valuable insights come from. What stood out for me was how consistently the economics knocked the shine off hydrogen. Whether it was Tata Steel’s ambitions, offshore electrolysis schemes, or the question of what powers trucks and ships, the conclusion was the same. Electrification wins first, and wins more broadly than most still expect. In the Netherlands’ case, hydrogen demand fell by 80% compared to today, and nuclear faded out of the picture as well. Biomethanol surprised me by emerging as the likely shipping fuel of the future, but even there, the pressure of cheap electrons will drive hybridization and greater battery use. This kind of work matters because it cuts through slogans and forces hard trade-offs into the open. Europe won’t be producing competitive virgin steel from hydrogen, but it will remain a hub for specialty steels, scrap recycling, and electric arc furnaces. Fertilizer will import ammonia. Aviation will outcompete shipping for sustainable fuels, while shipping electrifies faster than many expect. These conclusions weren’t driven by ideology but by looking at costs, technology readiness, and regional realities. Thanks to Paul Martin of Spitfire Research Inc. Research and Emiel van Druten of TenneT for their candor, and to Johnny Nijenhuis for lending us his podcast studio. This episode of Redefining Energy Tech is the second half of our conversation. It’s available now wherever you listen.

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Sharing my insights with Trends-Tendances In my recent interview with Trends Tendances, I shared how a smart and flexible mix of electricity, biomethane, low-carbon hydrogen, and CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) will get society to net zero. At Fluxys we are already preparing for this: ✅ All new infrastructure is hydrogen and CO₂-ready ✅ We’re working together with industry and authorities ✅ We’re forging international partnerships to build a resilient, cross-border energy network But to succeed, we need a stable, technology-neutral regulatory framework and support mechanisms to de-risk early investments. The goal? Long-term infrastructure that grows with demand and ensures both accessible and affordable energy for everyone. 💬 Curious to learn more? Read the full interview here: https://ow.ly/80aw50WYEup

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