Market design committee
Testing hydrogen Guarantees of Origin certificates with real companies
Introduction
The Market Design Committee (MDC) is a collaborative platform within HyXchange that focuses on creating and refining the regulatory framework for the trading of (green) hydrogen in the Netherlands and across Europe. With the hydrogen economy still in its early development stage, clear and functional market rules are essential to build investor confidence, prevent market distortion, and ensure compliance with EU obligations (such as REDIII). The MDC members discuss in-depth proposed EU and national (Dutch) rules and identify bottlenecks in the regulatory setup, proposing improvements that work both nationally and internationally.
Our Activities
The MDC brings together experts working on a day-to-day basis to establish a functional hydrogen market. Activities include:
- Analyse existing regulations for hydrogen trading, focusing on administrative flows, import/export treatment, and EU mass balancing requirements.
- Identify gaps and risks in the current “book-and-claim” mechanism, such as unequal treatment for late network entrants or insufficient transparency in trade flows.
- Develop practical recommendations for policy adjustments, including options to extend the proposed temporary relaxation of booking rules (de facto allowing book-and-claim trade of hydrogen certificates within the Netherlands) until at least 2040.
- Produce clear visual mapping of hydrogen flows and trading schemes, helping stakeholders understand how national and cross-border trade can operate under evolving EU rules.
- Engage with EU institutions and member states to advocate workable solutions that support investment and fair competition.
By balancing regulatory compliance with market practicality, the MDC plays a vital role in shaping a hydrogen market that is reliable, transparent, and scalable.
How to get involved?
We welcome stakeholders from across the hydrogen value chain to contribute to the MDC’s work. Participants are expected to participate in working sessions, provide feedback on draft documents and/or co-develop policy briefs. To express interest or learn more, please contact j.schellekens@hyxchange.org.