As the global energy transition accelerates, hydrogen valleys have emerged as critical governance models for developing integrated hydrogen economies. However, the complex governance structures in a hydrogen valley present significant challenges for effective implementation, requiring coordinated public and private stakeholders across different scales. The thesis examines the governance of the hydrogen transition through the Hydrogen Valley in the Northern Netherlands, and the main research question is “How is the hydrogen transition governed in the Hydrogen Valley of the Northern Netherlands, and what insights about the governance of the Hydrogen Valley can be drawn for facilitating regime shifts towards the hydrogen economy in other contexts?”.
The HEAVENN project, the first and only hydrogen valley initiative in the Northern Netherlands, is selected as the case study for this research to address the research questions. The study employs a qualitative research design, incorporating seven semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and an analysis of relevant documents to facilitate a comprehensive investigation. Later, the study applies a mixed theoretical approach that combines the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework to analyze socio-technical hydrogen transition dynamics. The research further utilizes the Governance Assessment Tool (GAT) to evaluate the governance effectiveness across five dimensions (Levels and Scales, Actors and Networks, Problem Perspectives and Goal Ambitions, Strategies and Instruments, and Responsibilities and Resources) and four quality criteria (Extent, Coherence, Flexibility, and Intensity).
In the MLP analysis, green hydrogen production is represented as a niche innovation in the developmental phase, fostering experimentation in the Hydrogen Valley and regional network in the Northern Netherlands. However, the interactions between niche and regime reveal tensions for several reasons. Resistance from established regime, such as an immature market and insufficient financial incentives, impedes the niche growth. The GAT evaluation demonstrates strong governance extent through broad stakeholder involvement, but moderate intensity and coherence because of the conflict between national and regional support. A weakness exists in flexibility due to a fixed timeline and a limited project budget.
Drawing from interviews and document analysis, the key barriers in this case include the persistent “chicken-and-egg” problem of simultaneous supply and demand development, infrastructure dependency, and policy alignment challenges. These issues reflect the research questions on governance challenges, indicating a need for coordinated strategies to bridge niche-regime-landscape interactions.
Recommendations for other regions aiming to develop similar hydrogen initiatives include flexible governance, versatile infrastructure, and a balanced hydrogen value chain to address political and economic challenges. The findings provide a governance blueprint for the hydrogen transition by offering actionable strategies and underscore the necessity for adaptive governance frameworks to bridge the gap between long-term transition goals and short-term implementation challenges. While acknowledging limitations in sample size and regional specificity, this study offers valuable insights for global scaling of hydrogen economies and suggests future comparative research across different hydrogen valley contexts.