Vysus Group risk management boosts hydrogen safety

Some have called hydrogen the rockstar of the green energy transition. By 2030, the EU plans to produce 10 million metric tons of renewable hydrogen, using it as a clean fuel to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors.

“Hydrogen is a useful gas, but it can be dangerous. A small leak from a hydrogen tank can ignite and cause an explosion,” explains Rothschild.

“Safety is a necessity. A hydrogen accident can cause fatalities, damage property and destroy businesses. Even entire industry segments can be shut down,” he adds.

Vysus Group provides risk and safety consultancy for the hydrogen industry. “We identify risks, help to prevent accidents and mitigate the consequences of an unwanted incident,” says Rothschild.

Vysus takes a holistic approach to risk and safety by looking at all the factors involved – technical, physical, organisational and human. “On the technical side, we look for potential sources of accidents, but we also look at human factors like, for instance, what safety procedures employees must follow to reduce risk,” he explains.

After collecting pertinent information from the company, Vysus consultants evaluate the situation based on the data and many years’ experience, and then write an assessment report. The report addresses a wide range of issues, from safe distances to ventilation needs and regulatory compliance.

“We want our customers to feel that we grab their hand and guide them safely through any hydrogen-related project,” says Rothschild.

Vysus Group helps hydrogen projects to strike the right balance of safety measures. The aim is to find the sweet spot between efficiency and profitability on one hand and acceptable risk and sufficient safety on the other.

“There is an art to managing risk,” says Rothschild. “We use smart engineering to keep costs down while optimising safety. If you implement too many measures that cost too much, then you’re overdoing it.”

This approach can increase the confidence of investors. During site assessment, for example, Vysus provides crucial information to optimise decision-making. Is the site too close to a populated area? How is appropriate ventilation ensured? What practical procedures do we need to describe for maintenance staff? Vysus provides answers to questions like these and many more.

The use of hydrogen as a fuel will grow exponentially in the coming years. Demand for clean hydrogen could grow to 660 million metric tons annually by 2050, and the total planned production of blue and green hydrogen through 2030 has quadrupled since 2020.

Safety will remain a key concern in the hydrogen market. “Every effort to produce, transport and use hydrogen is within the scope of our services,” says Rothschild.

Vysus’ customer base includes the whole spectrum of the hydrogen value-chain around the world.

“We have a decades-long history of supporting safe operations involving dangerous gases and liquids. This includes nuclear energy. Nothing is 100 per cent safe, but we have demonstrated our ability to mitigate the risks,” he concludes.