The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has launched its Hydrogen Standards Coordination Initiative to advance the development and awareness of safety and technical standards across the full hydrogen value chain—from production, storage and transportation to carbon capture, utilization and related infrastructure.

Why hydrogen standards matter. Hydrogen already serves as a critical industrial element in petroleum refining, fertilizer and chemical production, and metal processing. As the energy sector continues to innovate, hydrogen offers a path to cleaner transport and power systems through fuel cells. Beyond its current uses, hydrogen holds promise as a large-scale energy storage medium, enabling excess renewable electricity to be converted, stored, and used when demand is high. Standards are imperative to help assure the safe, reliable, and efficient scaling of hydrogen technologies across these diverse applications.

Phase I of the initiative focuses in increasing awareness through two deliverables:

• Hydrogen standards landscape: A comprehensive database of existing hydrogen-related standards, associated activities, supporting organizations, and related metadata compiled through stakeholder input (RFI below)
• Educational standards webinars: Informational sessions featuring standards and code developers with opportunities for stakeholder dialogue.

ANSI seeks industry input. To build a comprehensive hydrogen standards landscape, ANSI is issuing a request for information (RFI) seeking details about published industry consensus standards, ongoing standards activities, and relevant guidance documents.

Standards developing organizations and others are invited to complete ANSI's RFI spreadsheet (excel download) and send it to Christine Bernat (cbernat@ansi.org) by March 6, 2026. The RFI includes instructions and additional context.

Educational webinars. ANSI will host informational webinars on March 16 and 31 featuring briefings from various standards and code developers, with opportunities for interactive dialogue. Registration is open and presenters are invited.

Advance hydrogen standardization. Phase II of the initiative, launching in Spring 2026, will feature a technical workshop focused on pre-standardization research, standards and conformity assessment needs, and potential regulatory framework considerations. An executive report will summarize key challenges, standards gaps, and recommendations for advancing hydrogen standardization.

"As hydrogen emerges as a cornerstone of America's clean energy future, robust standardization is essential for safety, interoperability, and commercial viability," said Dr. Laurie E. Locascio, ANSI president and CEO. "We're calling on standards developers, industry innovators, and government partners to contribute their expertise and help shape the industry for decades to come."