Although Germany’s Coordination Office for Hydrogen officially launched at the end of last year, at that time it was not yet clear who would be working there or where it would be based. Premises are now due to be acquired in April, with central Berlin earmarked as the location. Taking up the leadership role is Philipp Braunsdorf from the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, or NOW. He is supported in his role by two deputies, one from the German energy agency dena and the other from the non-profit company ZUG.

The hydrogen coordination team consists of two officers each from dena, acting on behalf of the German economy ministry, NOW, on behalf of the German transportation ministry, and ZUG, which represents the country’s environment ministry. They could also potentially be joined by a representative from the international cooperation agency GIZ, on behalf of the international development ministry, and a further delegate from the project management agency Jülich, acting for the education ministry.

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Talking to H2-international, Braunsdorf indicated emphatically that the coordination office – in contrast to the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure – is not an official hydrogen bureau; instead its primary function is to act as a “link between the government departments involved and the National Hydrogen Council.” In accordance with its government mandate, the office is responsible for helping the federal departments to implement Germany’s national hydrogen strategy as well as supporting the hydrogen council in the coordination and formulation of recommended actions. The task of monitoring the national hydrogen strategy also falls within its remit.