NB This deliverable is the first part of a larger report that will be finalized later in 2024. It will therefore be replaced by the complete deliverable in due time. Risk governance plays a pivotal role in shaping the societal embeddedness• Effective communication, stakeholder engagement and collaboration areimportant cross cutting aspects in the risk governance process and helpnavigating through the complexities of risk governance, enhancing thesuccessful integration of hydrogen technologies into society• Open, transparent and inclusive communication in the process of riskgovernance helps to foster long term trust in risk management and the partiesinvolved• Engaging and collaborating with stakeholders during the risk governanceprocess can improve both the quality and outcome of the (risk related) decisionmaking process• Taking collaboration and communication in risk governance a step further leadsto the concept of collaborative risk management ( 6 CRM refers to interorganizational coordinating and joining efforts in risk governance process toprevent or at least mitigate adverse consequences in case of incidents• In the Netherlands both a main transport network as regional distribution gridsare developed to distribute hydrogen through pipelines, at first for industrialuse, and later on possibly for natural gas free districts, heavy transportationand electricity production• Hydrogen in the energy transition brings new situations and safety risks thataffect all sectors in the hydrogen domain T he necessary standards andrequirements regarding hydrogen safety are still under development• The Minister of Climate and Energy states that physical safety and health risksmust be dealt with responsibly, decisive and connected• Temporary safety guidelines (generic and supplementary for four pilots in thebuilt environment, RVO, 2022 for the safe handling of hydrogen allow hydrogenprojects to take place safely in situations where laws and regulations are currentlylacking or incomplete• The emerging sector of hydrogen transport and distribution in the Netherlandspresents challenges that necessitate technical, legal and social innovation Robustrisk governance frameworks serve as critical enabler that cuts across theseinnovations• Communication, stakeholder engagement and collaboration in the governance oftechnical risks in the sector of hydrogen transport and distribution via pipelinescan accelerate the societal embeddedness of hydrogen through (but not limitedto)• Understanding public concerns and perspectives, informing stakeholdersand the public, helping to form an informed opinion and build trust instakeholders• Communicating new measures and ways of working to regulators, endusers and service personnel• Increasing resilience and react timely to risks and their potentialconsequences• Improvingthe economics of a project by enabling effective decisionmaking and innovating more efficiently, reducing time and costs• This study highlights the mechanisms of communication, stakeholder engagementand collaboration within the risk governance process, specifically managingtechnical risks for the sector of hydrogen transport and distribution in theNetherlands We aim to learn how communication, stakeholder engagement andcollaboration can be improved and lead to a more cohesive way of working andaccelerate societal embeddedness in the sector of hydrogen distribution andtransport