Last week the EU Commission published a European hydrogen strategy (we reported). As part of the “EU Green Deal”, this should significantly advance the decarbonization of the energy and transport sectors in particular by 2050 through the priority use of green hydrogen. The Commission expects cumulative investments of up to 470 billion euros, including in infrastructure, gas networks and filling stations, but also in expanding renewable energy generation capacities. There are now a number of statements from associations and institutions.
VDMA: “Regulation should not determine the technologies”
From the perspective of the Association of German Mechanical and Plant Engineering (VDMA), it is important “that the integrated energy system is built on market economy principles”. Climate neutrality is “best achieved through open competition between energy sources and existing and innovative technical solutions. Regulation should not determine which technologies are used or which energy sources are used in which industry,” explains Matthias Zelinger, climate and energy policy spokesman for the VDMA.
“We support the founding of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance” to accelerate the path to “industrial scaling and achieving the competitiveness of hydrogen technologies,” says Peter Müller-Baum, managing director of the VDMA Power-to-X for Applications working group. “A forward-looking European hydrogen strategy must also describe a development path for other hydrogen-based gases, e-fuels and raw materials.”
BUND: “EU should only promote green hydrogen”
The German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) finds it “welcome that various national hydrogen initiatives are being brought together under a European umbrella”. The European Hydrogen Strategy makes it clear “that the future belongs to green hydrogen from renewable energies,” says Verena Graichen, deputy chairwoman of BUND, and offers the opportunity to establish sustainability standards for hydrogen production in the European internal market. In principle, green hydrogen should “only be used where no other cheaper and more efficient climate protection measures exist”. It remains incomprehensible “why the EU Commission wants to use blue hydrogen temporarily”. Investments in fossil hydrogen are a climate policy dead end. “In the further political process, the serious architectural deficiencies of the strategy must now be eliminated,” said Graichen.
The EU must also be careful that the activities of the European Hydrogen Alliance “do not undermine climate protection”. The alliance will become a powerful player in the hydrogen market, not only advising but also identifying and implementing EU-financed projects. “Companies with fossil fuel businesses will have a strong influence on the transition to a hydrogen economy and can delay or even prevent the introduction of renewable energies in their interests.”
Thüga: “Ambitious and sufficiently specific”
The goals of the European Hydrogen Strategy are “ambitious, the measures are sufficiently specific,” explains Michael Riechel, Chairman of the Board of Thüga Aktiengesellschaft. It is noteworthy that “the decentralized production of hydrogen and the use of the distribution networks, which are fundamentally important for the Thüga Group, are discussed.” However, what is “critical” is “the Commission's hesitant attitude towards the addition of hydrogen to the distribution networks”. Germany will not achieve its CO2 reduction targets with electricity and electromobility alone. This requires the use of renewable and decarbonized gas. “Therefore, we cannot wait until 2025, as planned, to clarify open questions about hydrogen admixture, which the Commission is rightly addressing.” Instead, we must “create concrete test cases and start admixing quickly in order to be able to operate pure hydrogen networks in the long term.”
Supplying hydrogen to large-scale industry only via long-distance gas networks is also not effective. More than half of the industrial gas volumes (52 percent) reach major customers in Germany via the distribution networks, and this also applies to the gas supply to power plants (57 percent). “The decarbonization of these two sectors can therefore only be achieved via the distribution networks – otherwise the energy transition risks failing.”
GET H2 Nukleus: “First building block of the European hydrogen network”
“In conjunction with the National Hydrogen Strategy, the EU concept is a decisive step towards a European hydrogen economy and thus towards achieving the climate goals,” says Bernhard Niemeyer-Pilgrim, board member of BP Europa SE. With the production of green hydrogen from renewable energies, the transport over 130 kilometers of pipelines and acceptance in the industrial sector, the hydrogen project GET H2 Nukleus, a collaboration between BP, Evonik, Nowega, OGE and RWE, is “one of the pioneering projects for a holistic hydrogen infrastructure” . The project is an “ideal first building block of the European hydrogen network,” says Roger Miesen, CEO of RWE Generation SE. Thomas Basten, Head of Pipelines in the Evonik Technology & Infrastructure Division, calls for “timely implementation of the planned measures of the German and European hydrogen strategies”. This is the only way to “create the necessary investment security for the companies involved in hydrogen projects”.
DUH: “There is a lack of a clear line for climate protection”
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) misses a “clear rejection of fossil sources”, criticizes the lack of a clear line for climate protection, but welcomes the focus on green hydrogen. “The European hydrogen strategy clearly shows the handwriting of the natural gas lobby, which has also been involved in the German strategy,” says Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director of the DUH. The EU is missing “a great opportunity to build new, climate protection-oriented energy partnerships together with neighboring regions.” Instead, “outdated business models of the fossil gas industry would be preserved”.
From the DUH’s perspective, it is particularly critical that an implementation and investment agenda should be developed by the “Clean Hydrogen Alliance”. This is an industry network “that unilaterally represents the interests of the natural gas industry”.
Constantin Zerger, Head of Energy and Climate Protection, demands: “Instead of letting the fossil gas industry dictate the next political steps, the EU Commission should seek advice from various social actors. This is the only way we have the chance of a real system change, as required by the climate protection goals.” The DUH demands that hydrogen for the EU must primarily be produced in the EU. In addition, European and international hydrogen trade should be “subject to strict, scientifically based sustainability criteria and independent control.” Imports should only take place when 100 percent renewable energy is used in the electricity sector of the countries of origin or a corresponding strategy is well advanced. “Otherwise we will just shift our emissions and other environmental impacts to other parts of the world,” says the association.
DVGW: “Addition of hydrogen to the existing natural gas network is essential”
The European Commission's ambitious goal of producing renewable hydrogen with an electrolysis capacity of at least 2030 gigawatts by 40 is a “strong signal,” according to the German Gas and Water Association (DVGW). It marks an important milestone on the way to an integrated European energy system in which hydrogen will be a supporting pillar.
“In order to transport the quantities of hydrogen to be produced, it is essential to add hydrogen to the existing natural gas network,” explains DVGW CEO Gerald Linke. At the European level, “the enormous decarbonization potential of climate-neutral hydrogen in the heating market must be taken into account even more.”
Deep link:
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/hydrogen_strategy.pdf
https://www.vdma.org/v2viewer/-/v2article/render/49636188
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/18807/4646866?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/110332/4646605?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/134252/4646556?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/7666/4646262?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/22521/4646092?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push
https://www.dvgw.de/der-dvgw/aktuelles/presse/presseinformationen/dvgw-presseinformation-vom-08072020-eu-wasserstoffstrategie/
Photos:
The European hydrogen strategy is part of the “Green Deal” that the EU presented in December 2019. © European Union
