Discussion at Riga Airport Focuses on Hydrogen Infrastructure Development in Latvia

The event brought together policymakers, regulators, and industry experts to explore the steps needed to accelerate hydrogen adoption. Participants from Riga Airport, the Latvian Hydrogen Association, the Civil Aviation Agency, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, the Ministry of Transport, the State Environmental Service, and other institutions highlighted several key challenges to successful hydrogen deployment in aviation and beyond. These include the absence of hydrogen-specific safety and certification standards, underdeveloped environmental impact assessment requirements, and the need to update legislation to address hydrogen storage risks.

“Riga Airport is ready to serve as a sandbox or testing ground for innovation and research projects to help pave the way toward the economically viable use of hydrogen-powered ground handling equipment. It is crucial that we, together with the hydrogen industry and policymakers, find the right balance between improving existing regulation and avoiding overregulation,” said Normunds Feierbergs, Member of the Board of Riga Airport.

The discussion also underlined the need to clarify land-use planning rules and the procedures for obtaining building permits when hydrogen production facilities are planned near airports. Hydrogen is currently classified as a hazardous substance but lacks specific storage standards. There are also no fully developed rules for pipeline transportation or clear regulations for hydrogen refuelling stations at airports and for hydrogen-powered aircraft.

At the European Union level, participants called for the development of EU-wide hydrogen safety standards, mandatory hydrogen safety training at airports, and the expansion of the European Hydrogen Backbone to include major airports. They also stressed the importance of prioritising hydrogen integration in European airport development plans, incorporating green hydrogen production into EU Green Deal funding programmes, and increasing EU financial support for hydrogen storage pilot projects at airports to create best-practice examples for broader application.

The seminar on the implementation of hydrogen infrastructure solutions in Latvia was organised by Riga Airport within the framework of the INTERREG Baltic Sea Region project “BSR HyAirport – Hydrogen Air Transport in the Baltic Sea Region: Preparing Airports for Green Hydrogen”. The project aims to create the prerequisites for adapting airport infrastructure to hydrogen-powered ground handling equipment and aircraft, and to prepare airports for the storage, processing, and delivery of green hydrogen as a future energy source for aviation.