Emergency and business continuity planning

 Emergency and business continuity planning

Additionally, and no less important as a key aspect as a safety barrier, is the necessary planning for emergencies and business continuity , which will establish an organized response from all human and material resources to limit consequences in the event of an accident.

Regarding the organization and human resources, it is imperative to establish the operations in the emergency plan, as well as the action procedures to be followed. With regard to the latter, the insurance industry also recommends creating and implementing the Fire Pre Plan for each accident scenario that could involve hydrogen or other substances such as oxygen, as well as in the process equipment (electrolyzers, compressors, storage, etc.). The Fire Pre Plans provide, for example, a detailed map of the area and scope of consequences, available firefighting/emergency resources to be used or mobilized, nearby affected hot or critical equipment, action instructions for operational personnel or emergency teams.

In addition, elements such as passive and active fire detection and extinguishing systems are key aspects in the design of the facilities and the emergency response. In this sense, operators must consider the specialty risks of hydrogen when defining the protection and systems. Planning based on continual improvement requires theoretical and practical training for key personnel, conducting drills, and simulations.

And, finally, at a higher management and operational level than crisis management and emergency plans themselves, business continuity plans will make it possible to identify the potential threats to plant operations and establish suitable continuity strategies to guarantee the resilience of the green hydrogen facilities.