Belgium – According to Transport & Environment (T&E), the European Commission’s green hydrogen guidelines, which were enacted on Friday, give much-needed investment certainty for green hydrogen.
However, the group has criticized the plan to soften requirements for green hydrogen production, allowing projects beginning before 2028 to use coal and gas-fired energy. Surprisingly, the Commission elected to classify as “renewable” hydrogen produced from a low-carbon energy infrastructure powered by nuclear power.
Green or not
Geert Decock, electricity & energy manager at T&E said: “The EU has provided clarity on what makes hydrogen green or not. This will kickstart investments in hydrogen and e-fuels, which are crucial for decarbonising our ships, planes and heavy industry. And by coupling green hydrogen generation with additional renewable capacity, the Commission will avoid the potentially disastrous consequences of creating new demand for already limited supplies of renewable electricity.”
Connecting more renewables
As production ramps up in 2028, hydrogen projects will need to connect more renewables to the local grid to meet demand. This will assist to prevent renewables from being diverted off the grid, putting a strain on family and corporate energy bills.
T&E urges the European Parliament and the EU Council to pass these delegated acts on Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin as soon as possible (RFNBO). The committee advises that this decision should not be used to justify using hydrogen to solve all of our energy concerns.
