On 1 October 2026, EASTGATEH2V will be presented at H2 Forum Ostrava 2026, bringing Slovakia’s first Hydrogen Valley into a broader discussion on the development of regional hydrogen ecosystems across Central Europe.
The two-day Forum will take place on 30 September and 1 October 2026 at DK Poklad in Ostrava, Czechia. Its programme connects hydrogen policy, industry, energy, mobility, education and regional deployment. The second day will have a particularly strong international and regional dimension, bringing together speakers and initiatives from several European countries.
EASTGATEH2V will take the stage at 14:00, when Kristína Duchoňová from PEDAL Consulting will present our project and the emerging Hydrogen Valley in the Košice region.
From the European hydrogen outlook to practical deployment
The international programme on 1 October will begin with a wider look at the future of the hydrogen economy.
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, will open the thematic programme with an online contribution on The Future of Hydrogen in Europe. His presentation will provide the wider European context for the discussions that follow.
The global perspective will continue with Andrew Win from Ballard Power Systems, who will address the Global Status of the Hydrogen Economy. Ballard is one of the established companies in PEM fuel-cell technology, with applications spanning transport and energy. Andrew Win works on the deployment of hydrogen and fuel-cell solutions and has been involved in practical hydrogen projects ranging from buses to airport and port applications.
The programme will then turn to Poland. Wojciech Kuster from TAURON H2 will present the Polish hydrogen economy and the prospects for large-scale production and distribution. TAURON H2 is developing a hydrogen value chain covering production, distribution and end use. Among its major initiatives is a planned 20 MW RFNBO hydrogen production facility in Jaworzno, complemented by hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in Silesia.
Hydrogen skills and education will also form part of the discussion. Prof. Marcin Lutyński from the Silesian University of Technology will introduce Hy-EDU: Advancing Hydrogen Education and Skills in Europe. Lutyński coordinates the university’s research area dedicated to energy storage and hydrogen energy, linking technological development with the need to prepare a new generation of engineers and specialists for the emerging hydrogen economy.
These perspectives will come together in the morning panel Building the Hydrogen Economy – Challenges Across Energy, Mobility and Industry.
From hydrogen strategies to regional ecosystems
The afternoon will shift the discussion from the broader hydrogen economy to regional implementation.
One of the examples will come from the Polish city of Rybnik. Ewelina Włoch, Head of the Department of Digitalisation and New Technologies at the City of Rybnik and coordinator of the city’s hydrogen policy, will present Rybnik Hydrogen Ecosystem – From Strategy to Implementation.
Rybnik already provides an interesting example of how hydrogen can move from strategy into everyday urban use. The city has hydrogen buses operating on regular routes and a hydrogen refuelling station. It is also developing the Rybnik Hydrogen District and cooperating with the Silesian University of Technology and other partners on hydrogen technologies, education and regional development.
The presentation will be followed by the panel Building a Regional Hydrogen Ecosystem through Partnership, involving representatives of the Silesian University of Technology, NesoBus and the City of Rybnik.
This regional perspective is particularly relevant for EASTGATEH2V. Hydrogen Valleys are not built around a single electrolyser or a single vehicle. Their purpose is to connect production, distribution, infrastructure, end users, public authorities, industry, research and local communities within one functioning regional ecosystem.
EASTGATEH2V: Slovakia’s first Hydrogen Valley
At 14:00, Kristína Duchoňová from PEDAL Consulting will present our project, EASTGATEH2V – Hydrogen Valley in Košice, Slovakia.
EASTGATEH2V is developing Slovakia’s first fully integrated Hydrogen Valley in the Košice region. The project brings together 22 organisations from seven European countries and covers the hydrogen value chain from renewable hydrogen production and distribution to its practical use in mobility and industry.
At the core of the project is a planned 4 MW renewable hydrogen production capacity, combining 2 MW of alkaline electrolysis and 2 MW of PEM electrolysis. The hydrogen will be distributed to four deployment sites across the Košice region, creating a regional network of production and real-world applications.
The project deliberately combines several different hydrogen use cases.
Hydrogen will be demonstrated in public transport, including buses, and in municipal services through a hydrogen-powered waste collection vehicle. The project also includes a hydrogen-powered touristic boat, an aviation application based on VTOL technology, and hydrogen use by selected industrial users.
This diversity is an important part of the Hydrogen Valley concept. Instead of demonstrating one isolated technology, EASTGATEH2V aims to show how hydrogen production can serve different users within the same region and how individual applications can become part of a larger hydrogen ecosystem.
The project also looks beyond the immediate deployment sites. It addresses hydrogen infrastructure, skills, public awareness, regional development and future scale-up. Its international dimension includes links with neighbouring Ukraine and the wider development of the Central European Hydrogen Corridor, connecting Ukraine, Slovakia and Czechia with Germany.
EASTGATEH2V is co-funded by the European Union through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under Horizon Europe. The project runs from April 2025 to March 2031 and receives approximately €9 million in EU support.
Connecting Hydrogen Valleys across borders
The EASTGATEH2V presentation will be followed at 14:20 by the Lower Silesian Hydrogen Valley, presented by Dr Bartosz Polnik from KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology. Polnik is Deputy Director for Development at KOMAG and works within an institution combining research, engineering and technology development.
The day will conclude with the panel discussion Established and Emerging Hydrogen Valleys – Lessons, Challenges and Cooperation.
This final discussion will create space to compare different stages of Hydrogen Valley development. Some regions already have operational hydrogen applications. Others are moving from planning and investment preparation towards deployment.
Despite these differences, many of the challenges are shared. Hydrogen production needs reliable demand. End users need predictable hydrogen supply and infrastructure. Large investments require viable business models and long-term offtake. New technologies need appropriate regulation, skills and public acceptance. Regional projects also need cooperation between actors that traditionally operate in very different sectors.
For EASTGATEH2V, this makes cooperation with other Hydrogen Valleys especially valuable. Experience from neighbouring regions can help identify practical solutions, avoid repeating the same mistakes and create opportunities for joint initiatives and cross-border cooperation.
The location of the Forum adds another dimension. Ostrava, Košice, Rybnik and the regions of Silesia and Lower Silesia share a strong industrial heritage and are all dealing, in different ways, with the transition towards cleaner energy and industry. Bringing these experiences together creates an opportunity to discuss hydrogen not as an isolated technology, but as one element of a wider transformation of Central European regions.
Meet EASTGATEH2V in Ostrava
H2 Forum Ostrava will therefore be much more than an opportunity to present the technical parameters of EASTGATEH2V.
It will be an opportunity to introduce the Košice Hydrogen Valley to a wider Central European hydrogen community, exchange experience with neighbouring regions and explore new links between projects, companies, research institutions and public authorities.
Kristína Duchoňová from PEDAL Consulting will present EASTGATEH2V on 1 October from 14:00 to 14:20.
The presentation will be followed by the Lower Silesian Hydrogen Valley and the joint panel on cooperation between established and emerging Hydrogen Valleys.
📅 1 October 2026
📍 DK Poklad, Ostrava, Czechia
🎤 EASTGATEH2V – Hydrogen Valley in Košice, Slovakia
🕑 14:00–14:20
Participation is possible in person in Ostrava or online.
👉 Prior registration is required: Register for H2 Forum Ostrava 2026