Hydrogen Technical Section (H2TS)

About H2TS

Within SPE, the Hydrogen Technical Section (H2TS) serves as a focal point for engineers, researchers, and decision-makers who are positioning hydrogen at the heart of the energy transition. The section provides a structured forum to examine how hydrogen and its carriers—such as ammonia—can decarbonize power, industry, and transport, while safely integrating with existing oil and gas infrastructure and leveraging decades of subsurface, facilities, and project experience. Through study groups, regional working teams, and contributions to conferences and workshops, H2TS helps members interpret evolving technologies, regulations, and market signals in the context of net-zero goals. By connecting insights from carbon management, system integration, and new business models, the section turns scattered hydrogen initiatives into coherent transition pathways that members can apply to accelerate low-carbon solutions.

Hydrogen as a Cornerstone of Net-Zero

Hydrogen is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of net-zero strategies because it can decarbonize sectors that are difficult to electrify directly, such as heavy industry, long-haul transport, and seasonal energy storage. When produced with low or zero emissions and coupled with responsible water and land use, hydrogen and its carriers can complement renewables, stabilize power systems, and extend the value of existing gas infrastructure. For SPE members, hydrogen offers a natural bridge between today’s oil and gas capabilities and tomorrow’s diversified energy portfolios—turning skills in subsurface engineering, facilities design, safety, and project execution into practical pathways for deep emissions reductions. As standards, policies, and markets continue to evolve, hydrogen also creates new opportunities for innovation, investment, and cross-disciplinary collaboration across the global SPE community.

What We Deliver

• Capability development through online events, networking, workshops, and conferences.
• Knowledge and best-practice transfer via meetings, technical papers, presentations, and SPE publications, including the H2TS newsletter.
• Close ties with other SPE sections and regions that enhance energy-transition initiatives across the industry.
• Closer links between the energy industry and academia through joint projects and forums.
• Promotion of professionalism, certification, Distinguished Lecturer programming, and nominations for SPE awards.
• Engagement of young professionals seeking to contribute to a sustainable energy future.
• Collaboration with other professional organizations on hydrogen R&D, commercialization, transportation, and delivery to end-users.

H2TS Vision 2030

Our Vision 2030 focuses on expanding membership, deepening collaboration within SPE and with external partners, and sustaining a vibrant technical community around hydrogen. It emphasizes execution and empowerment, global outreach, facilitation of knowledge sharing, continuing growth, and professional impact.

Technical Section Excellence Award 2025

The SPE Hydrogen Technical Section has been awarded the Technical Section Excellence Award for 2025—one of the highest honors a technical section can receive, given to only a small fraction of eligible sections worldwide. This award recognizes H2TS for strong programs in technical dissemination, professional development, member engagement, community involvement, and operations.

Why We Host Events

• Facilitate technical knowledge exchange on hydrogen production, storage, transport, and utilization.
• Promote cross-disciplinary collaboration among SPE members, partners, and adjacent industries.
• Enable networking and mentorship within a growing global hydrogen energy community.
• Showcase real-world case studies that connect hydrogen concepts to practical project delivery.

Event Formats

• Webinars & virtual panels with technical deep dives, expert roundtables, and audience Q&A.
• Workshops (in-person or hybrid) focused on hands-on learning, design challenges, and project case histories.
• Conferences & symposia with keynotes, technical sessions, poster presentations, and panel discussions.
• Tech talks & student-focused events highlighting emerging technologies, career pathways, and YP leadership.

Together, these formats allow H2TS to reach members across time zones and career stages, creating spaces where engineers, researchers, students, and decision-makers can compare lessons learned, explore new ideas, and build long-term collaborations around hydrogen in the energy transition.

In addition to live sessions, many of our events are recorded or summarized so members can revisit key insights, share them with colleagues, or use them in internal training. By rotating topics across regions and time zones, H2TS also surfaces diverse perspectives—from policy and finance to subsurface, facilities, and operations—ensuring the conversation around hydrogen is grounded in both local realities and global trends. Over time, this growing portfolio of events becomes a living knowledge base that helps SPE members move from concepts to pilot projects, and from pilots to scalable hydrogen solutions integrated into the broader energy system.

Oil & Gas as a Bridge for Hydrogen

• Leveraging existing infrastructure, asset utilization, and operational expertise.
• Bridging the technology gap with transitional solutions that blend traditional and emerging technologies, underpinned by rich carbon-management experience.
• MENA H2TS Work Group to advance low-carbon hydrogen collaboration and best practices in the region.

Innovative Activities

• H2TS Study Group, a forum for critical and emerging issues in hydrogen (production, storage, policy, geopolitics) with regular briefings and synthesis.
• MENA Hydrogen Technical Section Working Group, led by Suhail Diaz Valderrama – empowering young professionals and shaping hydrogen’s role in the MENA energy transition.

Global Representation

H2TS Board members and liaisons represent regions across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia–Pacific, reflecting the global deployment of hydrogen technologies and skills.