European Commission Promises Tenfold Boost in Clean Hydrogen

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The European Commission (EC) has committed to boosting the production of hydrogen via electrolysis tenfold throughout the European Union (EU) in the next three years.

At a meeting with 20 industry chief executive officers from leading hydrogen and energy companies, a joint declaration was signed whereby industry committed to a tenfold increase of its electrolyser manufacturing capacities by 2025. This will enable the annual EU production of 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen by 2030, which was set as a target in the REPowerEU plan in March. REPowerEU aims to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, starting with natural gas. The proposed plan will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gasses and replace gas in heating and power generation. For additional information, see March 16, 2022, article--Europe Plans to Cut Russia From Energy Mix.

It also supports the acceleration for backing and rolling out clean hydrogen projects to the tune of 17.5 gigawatts (GW) per year by 2025. The Commission has pledged to put in place a "supportive regulatory framework, facilitate access to finance and promote efficient supply chains." Industrial Info is tracking more than 550 European projects across all aspects of hydrogen production, worth US$47 billion. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for related reports.

Commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, said: "Clean hydrogen is indispensable to reduce industrial carbon emissions and contribute to our energy independence from Russia. We have no time to lose, which is why this European electrolyser summit is so opportune. Today, industry agreed to a tenfold increase in electrolyser manufacturing capacities in Europe. The Commission will support this important industrial upscaling for an industrial leadership in the clean energy technologies of the future."

In March, Industrial Info reported that a number of European nations--Germany, Norway and Denmark--had begun fast-tracking hydrogen investment and signing deals. Germany and Norway officially announced plans to assess a hydrogen link between both countries as part of wider cooperation on energy, climate policy and industrial transformation. Denmark's coalition government announced its intention to rapidly boost production of green hydrogen in order to "minimize reliance on fossil fuel imports and attain carbon neutrality." It kickstarted its plan with funding amounting to US$185 million, with the aim of creating up to 6 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030 to convert renewable energy into green hydrogen for the manufacturing of ammonia and methanol. For additional information, see March 29, 2022, article--European Nations Strike Hydrogen Deals.

Jon André Løkke, chief executive of Nel Hydrogen and a signatory of the Joint Declaration, said: "The electrolyser manufacturing capacity must be scaled-up significantly to meet the expected European demand for renewable hydrogen. There is no Hydrogen Accelerator without an acceleration in electrolyser manufacturing. There is no acceleration in electrolyser manufacturing in Europe without adequate regulatory and financial support. Cost-effective and scalable solutions are key qualification criteria. It's time to walk the talk."

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the world's leading provider of market intelligence across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and all other major industrial markets. IIR's Global Market Intelligence Platform (GMI) supports our end-users across their core businesses, and helps them connect trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated project opportunities. Follow IIR on: LinkedIn.