Marsh launches insurance for green and blue hydrogen project risks
It is an important development for the insurance industry that will help accelerate the global energy transition to renewables.
Marsh (a leading insurance broker and risk advisor) has launched a first-of-its-kind insurance and reinsurance facility that provides dedicated insurance capacity for new and existing green and blue hydrogen energy projects.
Developed by Marsh in collaboration with insurers Liberty Specialty Markets, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, and AIG, the facility provides up to US$300 million of cover per risk for the construction and start-up phases of hydrogen projects globally.
Investment in green and blue hydrogen initiatives is estimated to exceed US$150 billion by 2025 as traditional energy operators, governments, and hard-to-abate industries race to meet their carbon reduction obligations. However, operators have found securing adequate insurance market provision for these new and emerging technologies challenging.
Marsh’s facility is backed by a panel of A-rated global insurers, led by Liberty Specialty Markets and AIG. It provides a capacity up to US$300 million per risk and is structured flexibly to enable clients – from small operators to multinational organizations – to choose coverage for the construction or startup phase or a combined risks policy that extends to first-year operations. As well as providing risk transfer options for all construction and operational phase property damage risks, the facility includes marine cargo, business interruption, general third-party liability, and contingent delay-in-start-up insurance.
Andrew George, Global Head, Energy & Power, Marsh Specialty, said, “As the global hydrogen industry, especially green hydrogen, scales up rapidly to meet demand the facility will reduce the complexity of securing risk transfer options for operators of all sizes and boosts investor and lender confidence in achieving their ambitious project timeframes.”
Lesley Harding, Global Head of Energy at Liberty Specialty Markets, said, “This is another example of how Liberty is providing industry-leading technical expertise to assess, quantify and underwrite emerging technology risks.”
James Langdon, AIG UK Head of Energy and Construction, said, “ This innovative solution is one of many initiatives that we are working on with our clients and broker partners in support of the energy transition and our net zero commitments.”
