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Asia-Pacific has built one of the world’s largest hydrogen development pipelines, but most projects are still struggling to reach final investment decision (FID), according to a new report from the Energy Industries Council (EIC), a trade association for the global energy supply chain.
EIC’s Asia Pacific Hydrogen Report 2026 tracks 221 hydrogen projects across the region, representing around $407 billion in potential capital expenditure if all proceed. But only 6.46GW of the region’s 56.35GW green hydrogen pipeline is currently under construction, while contract awards fell to 27 in 2025 from 54 the previous year.
The report reveals that many large export-scale projects and hydrogen hubs stall at the feasibility stage because of weak offtake certainty, infrastructure gaps, slow permitting and supply-chain constraints.
Rebecca Groundwater, EIC’s Global Head of External Affairs, said: “Like other regions, Asia Pacific doesn’t have a problem with developing hydrogen projects on paper, but rather with building them. The projects moving forward are the ones with credible buyers, realistic economics, infrastructure in place and, most importantly, a clear policy direction.”
Australia remains the region’s largest hydrogen market on paper, with 63 projects and around $240 billion in projected capex, ahead of India with 60 projects and around $105 billion. But while several Australian megaprojects have been delayed, downsized or cancelled, India is showing stronger execution, with major production hubs under construction and policy-backed ammonia demand helping developers secure buyers earlier.
Japan and South Korea are shaping up more as demand and import centres than large-scale domestic production markets, while emerging markets including Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia remain at an earlier stage and are more exposed to policy, infrastructure and cost barriers.
The findings reflect a wider trend across the hydrogen sector. EIC’s Q4 2025 global hydrogen data, drawn from its EICDataStream project database, tracked 1,175 projects worth an estimated $1.423 trillion, but only 109 projects valued at around $49 billion were expected to reach FID. That equates to 9.28% of projects and just 3.44% of total projected value.
The Asia Pacific Hydrogen Report 2026 was written by Muhammad Ekrahm, Energy Analyst – APAC Hydrogen and CCS (CAPEX); Mohamed Azman, Energy Analyst – APAC (Supply Chain); and Lim Xiao Shuen, APAC Analyst – Operational Assets and Decommissioning.
