Martin Lambert

Head of Hydrogen Research

Martin Lambert is an independent consultant and joined the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies in 2017 where he is Head of Hydrogen Research, specialising in renewable gas and hydrogen,. He also writes occasionally on global LNG. His areas of expertise include commercial strategy, project development and structuring, economics, gas and LNG marketing and trading.

Martin’s 34 year career with Shell included several senior leadership positions in the gas and LNG businesses. His overseas assignments included Japan, where he was responsible for marketing Shell’s LNG to gas and power companies, the Philippines where he was commercial manager during the development of the Malampaya gas field, and Australia where he was seconded to North West Shelf Australia LNG as Senior Vice President Marketing. From his UK base, his career also included frequent international travel, and was a key member of the team which closed a major LNG project in the Middle East.

Martin’s career also included several years in related areas outside the core gas business: managing research teams developing products from Gas to Liquids and leadership roles in Shell’s biofuels business.

Martin holds an MA in economics and engineering from the University of Cambridge.

Contact

Email: [email protected]

Hydrogen is in competition with other decarbonisation alternatives.
The business case for clean hydrogen relies on government policy to drive decarbonisation.
It is essential to understand emissions associated with potential hydrogen investments.
Hydrogen investments need to consider the full value chain and its geopolitics.
Transport of hydrogen is expensive and so should be minimised.
Storage of hydrogen is an essential part of the value chain and requires more focus.

[post_title] => Clean Hydrogen Roadmap: is greater realism leading to more credible paths forward? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => clean-hydrogen-roadmap-is-greater-realism-leading-to-more-credible-paths-forward [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-09-25 11:08:15 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-09-25 10:08:15 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=46569 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 45107 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2022-07-25 12:34:08 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-07-25 11:34:08 [post_content] => On 8 March 2022, the European Commission published its communication “Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy”, referred to as “REPowerEU”. The communication was in immediate reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and had the objective to “make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030”. On 18 May the European Commission released a further package of documents, putting more detail around the aspirational targets set in the 8 March publication. Based on both the earlier communication and the further details released on May 18, this Comment considers the EU proposals for biomethane and hydrogen, assessing the objectives to increase significantly the production of renewable gas by 2030. [post_title] => RePowerEU: Can Renewable Gas help reduce Russian gas imports by 2030? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => repowereu-can-renewable-gas-help-reduce-russian-gas-imports-by-2030 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-07-25 12:34:08 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-07-25 11:34:08 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=45107 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [4] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 44933 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2022-05-25 09:55:14 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-05-25 08:55:14 [post_content] => The cement industry is responsible for seven per cent of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Despite all the environmental techniques adopted by the industry, clinker production is, and will be, associated with significant amounts of CO2 emissions due to the calcination process. In contrast to other energy-intensive industries, emissions caused by fuel consumption do not constitute the major part in total emissions. Because of this, carbon capture and utilization/storage (CCUS) is essential to mitigate such hard-to-abate industrial emissions. The paper discusses the role of CCUS in decarbonizing the cement industry by means of analyzing prospective supply chains, the different options that cement producers will have to mitigate their emissions and their techno-economic requirements, advantages, drawbacks, boundaries and challenges. Some of these themes are generally applicable, while others are regional and can be linked to the geographical features of a certain location. By way of illustration, the paper addresses these topics while providing a case study from the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). [post_title] => The role of CCUS in decarbonizing the cement industry: A German case study [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => the-role-of-ccus-in-decarbonizing-the-cement-industry-a-german-case-study [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-08-08 11:56:16 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-08-08 10:56:16 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=44933 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 44311 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2021-11-10 10:11:49 [post_date_gmt] => 2021-11-10 10:11:49 [post_content] => In October 2020, the then newly-appointed Japanese Prime Minister surprised the world, and many of his officials, by announcing a commitment for Japan to reach Net Zero by 2050. In April 2021, he strengthened the commitment by setting a 2030 target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 46 per cent compared to 2013 levels. Net Zero and associated interim targets will be challenging for many countries, but are particularly challenging for Japan. Following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, Japan’s nuclear power generation has been much reduced, resulting in significantly increased reliance on fossil fuels, notably coal and LNG. In July 2021, Japan’s Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) published a draft revised Basic Energy Plan, which envisaged considerable reliance on restart of nuclear power generation to move towards these targets. Perhaps surprisingly, it did not consider any alternative scenarios. The plan was endorsed by the Japanese Cabinet in October 2021. This Insight explores potential pathways for Japan to move towards its ambitious targets, considering the METI plan alongside two of our own scenarios and considers the implications for LNG. Overall, the long term role of LNG is expected to decline, but there is considerable uncertainty around the speed of that decline, and that uncertainty will also have significant implications for the global LNG industry. [post_title] => Energy transition in Japan and implications for gas [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => energy-transition-in-japan-and-implications-for-gas [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2021-11-24 09:28:06 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-11-24 09:28:06 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=44311 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [6] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 44287 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2021-11-02 14:11:57 [post_date_gmt] => 2021-11-02 14:11:57 [post_content] => Since early 2020, Turkey has been considering the role of hydrogen in its energy future with a view to producing a hydrogen strategy in the next few months. Unlike many other countries considering the role of hydrogen, Turkey has only recently (October 2021) ratified the Paris Agreement addressing climate change and its interest is driven more by geopolitical, strategic and energy security concerns. Specifically with concerns about the high share of imported energy, particularly gas from Russia, it sees hydrogen as part of a policy to increase indigenous energy production. Turkey already has a relatively high share of renewable power generation, particularly hydro, and recent solar auctions have resulted in low prices, leading to a focus on potential green hydrogen production. However, it still generates over half of its electricity from fossil fuel, including over 25% from coal and lignite. Against that background, it provides an interesting case study on some of the key aspects that a country needs to consider when looking to incorporate low-carbon hydrogen into the development of their energy economy. [post_title] => What role for hydrogen in Turkey's energy future? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => what-role-for-hydrogen-in-turkeys-energy-future [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2021-11-02 14:11:57 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-11-02 14:11:57 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=44287 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [7] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 43719 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2021-05-18 11:08:43 [post_date_gmt] => 2021-05-18 10:08:43 [post_content] => The last two years have seen growing momentum behind the global recognition of the urgency of the ‘climate emergency’, with more and more countries committing to achieve net zero emissions. There has also been a growing conviction that hydrogen will play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the energy system. Electrification will certainly be very important, with many commentators suggesting that the share of electricity in final consumption is likely to rise from typically around 20 per cent today to around 50 per cent by 2050. Even if that proves to be an underestimate, it will still leave considerable demand for low-carbon molecules, and, with current technologies, the most likely low-carbon (or preferably zero-carbon) molecule is hydrogen. A growing number of countries have now published national hydrogen strategies, and more such strategies are under development. These strategies set bold ambitions for development of hydrogen but are relatively unclear on the pathways and steps to reach those ambitions. Low-carbon hydrogen is starting from a small base, and current costs do not support a commercial business case. For hydrogen to achieve the ambitious targets will require many players across the energy industry (private sector, government, regulators, and consumer groups) to work together to drive the required policies and behaviours. The structures to enable that collaboration will need to be developed as a matter of urgency in the next year or two. Against that background, it is very timely that this May 2021 edition of the Oxford Energy Forum is dedicated to exploring the role of hydrogen in the energy transition. [post_title] => Oxford Energy Forum - The Role of Hydrogen in the Energy Transition - Issue 127 [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => oxford-energy-forum-the-role-of-hydrogen-in-the-energy-transition-issue-127 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-04-04 10:35:46 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-04-04 09:35:46 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=43719 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [8] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 43551 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2021-03-22 11:23:21 [post_date_gmt] => 2021-03-22 11:23:21 [post_content] => European countries approach the market ramp-up of hydrogen very differently. In some cases, the economic and political starting points differ significantly. While the probability is high that some countries, such as Germany or Italy, will import hydrogen in the long term, other countries, such as United Kingdom, France or Spain, could become hydrogen exporters. The reasons for this are the higher potential for renewable energies but also a technology-neutral approach on the supply side. In the study "Contrasting European Hydrogen Pathways: An Analysis of Differing Approaches in Key Markets", the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne (EWI), together with the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), analysed what the economic and political parameters relevant to a future hydrogen economy look like in the six European countries Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Green hydrogen, produced by electrolysis using water and electricity from renewable sources, is favoured by the southern European countries - Spain and Italy. Both are characterised by a high potential for renewable energies, especially photovoltaics. Germany also relies exclusively on producing green hydrogen in its National Hydrogen Strategy. France is taking a special path. Due to its large share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix, the country relies among other technologies on nuclear-based hydrogen. The advantage: It can be produced cost-effectively in times of low electricity demand. Although the long-term significance of nuclear energy in France is unclear, this approach could ensure a fast and cost-effective market ramp-up with hydrogen in the short- and medium-term. In heavy industry, hydrogen could be of central importance for decarbonisation. However, future demand also depends heavily on the price. In this respect, import-dependent countries such as Germany, which will not have sufficient domestically produced hydrogen available in the foreseeable future due to limited potential for renewable energies, could be at a disadvantage. [post_title] => Contrasting European hydrogen pathways: An analysis of differing approaches in key markets [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => contrasting-european-hydrogen-pathways-an-analysis-of-differing-approaches-in-key-markets [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2021-08-19 10:42:55 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-08-19 09:42:55 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.oxfordenergy.org/?post_type=publications&p=43551 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => publications [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [9] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 40863 [post_author] => 111 [post_date] => 2020-09-10 12:01:54 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-09-10 11:01:54 [post_content] =>

Since the birth of the LNG industry, Asia has been the key market, providing high value, reliable demand. The 3 foundation markets of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been joined more recently by China and India to form the “big 5” which is often the focus for much analysis and comment. However, it would be wrong to ignore the smaller, emerging Asian LNG markets. By considering the 10 most significant emerging Asian markets, this report demonstrates that when combined, they have potential LNG demand over the next 2 decades as the combination of India and China. Like all demand forecasts, whether that potential is achievable is, however, depends on overcoming some significant challenges, as discussed in the report.

In addition, these smaller countries offer a diversity of analytical interest. Malaysia and Indonesia are LNG exporters, now looking to become significant importers. Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the Philippines all see LNG as needed to supplement declining domestic gas production. Myanmar started LNG imports to address a power crisis, and Hong Kong and Singapore are largely driven by environmental and security of supply concerns.

With a chapter on each country and detailed breakdown of the forecasts generated by our World Gas Model, the document provides a useful reference of current perceptions of future prospects in those emerging LNG markets.

Latest Publications by Martin Lambert

19.03.24

MENA region as a potential hydrogen supplier for the European market: analysing a prospective route between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Germany

Green hydrogen emerges as a promising solution to the intermittency of renewable energy resources, offering storage and transport capabilities essential for a sustainable energy future. However, establishing a viable supply chain poses challenges due to high conversion costs and logistical complexities. Hence, considering the cost dynamics of the entire supply chain is crucial to derive […]

By: Ali Abdelshafy Martin Lambert Grit Walther

Download Publication
29.11.23

Carbon Management and Hydrogen: Potential solutions for hard-to-decarbonise sectors – Issue 138

The May 2021 edition of the Oxford Energy Forum covered the role of hydrogen in the energy transition in some detail, starting from an observation that the decarbonized energy system was expected to see an increase in the share of electricity in final consumption rising from its current 20 per cent to around 50 per […]

By: OIES Hasan Muslemani Martin Lambert

Download Publication
25.09.23

Clean Hydrogen Roadmap: is greater realism leading to more credible paths forward?

The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies started researching the role of hydrogen in the energy transition in 2020. Since then the interest in hydrogen has continued to grow globally across the energy industry. A key research question has been the extent to which clean hydrogen can be scaled up at reasonable cost and whether it […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication
25.07.22

RePowerEU: Can Renewable Gas help reduce Russian gas imports by 2030?

On 8 March 2022, the European Commission published its communication “Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy”, referred to as “REPowerEU”. The communication was in immediate reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and had the objective to “make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030”. On […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication
25.05.22

The role of CCUS in decarbonizing the cement industry: A German case study

The cement industry is responsible for seven per cent of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Despite all the environmental techniques adopted by the industry, clinker production is, and will be, associated with significant amounts of CO2 emissions due to the calcination process. In contrast to other energy-intensive industries, emissions caused by fuel consumption do not […]

By: Ali Abdelshafy Martin Lambert Grit Walther

Download Publication
10.11.21

Energy transition in Japan and implications for gas

In October 2020, the then newly-appointed Japanese Prime Minister surprised the world, and many of his officials, by announcing a commitment for Japan to reach Net Zero by 2050. In April 2021, he strengthened the commitment by setting a 2030 target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 46 per cent compared to 2013 levels. […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication
02.11.21

What role for hydrogen in Turkey’s energy future?

Since early 2020, Turkey has been considering the role of hydrogen in its energy future with a view to producing a hydrogen strategy in the next few months. Unlike many other countries considering the role of hydrogen, Turkey has only recently (October 2021) ratified the Paris Agreement addressing climate change and its interest is driven […]

By: Gulmira Rzayeva Martin Lambert

Download Publication
18.05.21

Oxford Energy Forum – The Role of Hydrogen in the Energy Transition – Issue 127

The last two years have seen growing momentum behind the global recognition of the urgency of the ‘climate emergency’, with more and more countries committing to achieve net zero emissions. There has also been a growing conviction that hydrogen will play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the energy system. Electrification will certainly be […]

By: OIES Martin Lambert Bassam Fattouh

Download Publication
22.03.21

Contrasting European hydrogen pathways: An analysis of differing approaches in key markets

European countries approach the market ramp-up of hydrogen very differently. In some cases, the economic and political starting points differ significantly. While the probability is high that some countries, such as Germany or Italy, will import hydrogen in the long term, other countries, such as United Kingdom, France or Spain, could become hydrogen exporters. The […]

By: Martin Lambert Simon Schulte

Download Publication
10.09.20

Emerging Asia LNG Demand

Since the birth of the LNG industry, Asia has been the key market, providing high value, reliable demand. The 3 foundation markets of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been joined more recently by China and India to form the “big 5” which is often the focus for much analysis and comment. However, it would […]

By: Mike Fulwood James Henderson Ieda Gomes Martin Lambert Jack Sharples

Download Publication
30.07.20

EU Hydrogen Strategy – A case for urgent action towards implementation

Interest in hydrogen as one route to the decarbonisation of energy systems has risen rapidly over the past few years, with the publication of a number of hydrogen strategies from countries across the global energy economy. The momentum in Europe has increased sharply this month with the publication of an EU strategy to incorporate hydrogen […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication
09.03.20

Hydrogen and decarbonisation of gas: false dawn or silver bullet?

This Insight continues the OIES series considering the future of gas. The clear message from previous papers is that on the (increasingly certain) assumption that governments in major European gas markets remain committed to decarbonisation targets, the existing natural gas industry is under threat. It is therefore important to develop a decarbonisation narrative leading to […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication
30.01.20

Quarterly Gas Review – Issue 8

The OIES Natural Gas Quarterly aims to provide a regular insight into the thoughts of Research Fellows on topical issues as well as providing a different angle on trends in global gas pricing. In the pricing section, the Quarterly reviews the LNG Tightness measure, looks at the Russian gas export price to Europe versus the […]

By: Mike Fulwood Jack Sharples Anouk Honoré Marshall Hall Martin Lambert James Henderson Michal Meidan Patrick Heather

Download Publication
16.10.19

A mountain to climb? Tracking progress in scaling up renewable gas production in Europe

In the last couple of years there has been increasing recognition by key players in the European gas industry that to mitigate the risk of terminal decline in the context of a decarbonising energy system, there will need to be rapid scale up of decarbonised gas. This has led to several projections of the scale […]

By: Martin Lambert Gbemi Oluleye

Download Publication
08.10.18

Power-to-Gas: Linking Electricity and Gas in a Decarbonising World?

Since the COP 21 meeting in Paris in December 2015, there has been a growing realisation that with the long-term objective that the energy system should be approaching carbon-neutrality by 2050, continuing to burn significant quantities of fossil-derived natural gas will not be sustainable. If existing natural gas infrastructure is to avoid becoming stranded assets, […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication
11.12.17

The potential market for LNG in the Caribbean and Central America

The Caribbean has been described as a potentially ideal region for LNG imports due to its present dependence on diesel and fuel oil for power generation, high electricity tariffs and its proximity to regional LNG suppliers in Trinidad & Tobago and on the US Gulf Coast. Central America is also attracting investor interest as demonstrated […]

By: Ieda Gomes Martin Lambert

Download Publication
21.06.17

Biogas: A significant contribution to decarbonising gas markets?

With a current focus on the need to decarbonise the energy system, and increasing interest in decarbonising the gas industry[1], this short paper provides an overview of the current status and considers the potential for further growth in the production and use of biogas and biomethane. It focuses on key countries in Europe, which have […]

By: Martin Lambert

Download Publication

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Martin Lambert

Head of Hydrogen Research

Contact

Latest Publications by Martin Lambert

MENA region as a potential hydrogen supplier for the European market: analysing a prospective route between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Germany

Carbon Management and Hydrogen: Potential solutions for hard-to-decarbonise sectors – Issue 138

Clean Hydrogen Roadmap: is greater realism leading to more credible paths forward?

RePowerEU: Can Renewable Gas help reduce Russian gas imports by 2030?

The role of CCUS in decarbonizing the cement industry: A German case study

Energy transition in Japan and implications for gas

What role for hydrogen in Turkey’s energy future?

Oxford Energy Forum – The Role of Hydrogen in the Energy Transition – Issue 127

Contrasting European hydrogen pathways: An analysis of differing approaches in key markets

Emerging Asia LNG Demand

EU Hydrogen Strategy – A case for urgent action towards implementation

Hydrogen and decarbonisation of gas: false dawn or silver bullet?

Quarterly Gas Review – Issue 8

A mountain to climb? Tracking progress in scaling up renewable gas production in Europe

Power-to-Gas: Linking Electricity and Gas in a Decarbonising World?

The potential market for LNG in the Caribbean and Central America

Biogas: A significant contribution to decarbonising gas markets?

Sign up for our Updates