H2 SafeCert - personal certification for safe hydrogen installation

The demand and applications for hydrogen are expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Hydrogen will be distributed and made available via entirely or partially new applications such as refuelling stations, large storage facilities and other buildings connected to electricity generation, as well as in connection with new uses of hydrogen in production and laboratories. 
To get an idea of the scale of the growing market, the planned establishment of refuelling stations in Sweden can serve as an example. Today, there are only a handful of hydrogen refuelling stations in Sweden, but building permits or similar authorisations for at least 60 more stations are already ready. This, together with all other ongoing or expected hydrogen-related initiatives, means that the demand for personnel with the skills to carry out various types of hydrogen installations is likely to increase.

To ensure that future important hydrogen installations for a sustainable industry are done safely and that the right skills are easy to find, a documented check of the level of competence of installers can be a support.

The rules are being reviewed

The requirements for hydrogen installers are currently being investigated by MSB. In an earlier draft of general advice, the authority included the proposal for certification of hydrogen installers as a possible part of the upcoming update of the advice. In 2024, a new version of the proposed regulations will be put out for consultation.

Facilitating competency checks

A wide range of industrial actors are affected by hydrogen regulations and safety is a very important issue for the industry and crucial for the future role of hydrogen in the industrial transition. If a certification of hydrogen installers, or other type of competence check, is written into the general advice, or becomes an absolute requirement, it is important that the forms for this are clear as soon as the rules come into force.

To contribute to increased knowledge of policy-related obstacles and opportunities, the project will carry out a needs and impact analysis of a planned certification. The project will also develop a proposal on how the competence of installers can be checked and followed up using, for example, a personal certification.