Belgium announced on Monday (1 January) that it will assume the rotating presidency of the European Council and commit to promoting international trade in hydrogen and its derivatives.
The Belgian Presidency, which is currently in charge of the council’s functions, said it would focus on promoting “trusted certification systems and market platforms” to ensure transparency and encourage investment in hydrogen.
The President’s Office said it would work with the European Commission on hydrogen banks, among other initiatives, including “a potential EU hydrogen import strategy”.
It also pointed to the need for the region to “rapidly advance” the development of renewable and low-carbon energy sources and carriers, stating that “increased investment in integrated and future-proof energy networks is essential to this end.” It is,” he added.
A key part of the EU’s REPowerEU hydrogen plan is the 2030 target of importing 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen in addition to 10 million tonnes of domestic production.
In the last months of 2023, the EU sought to secure supplies, establishing and exploring partnerships with regions predicted to have high hydrogen production potential.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a conference that Africa could “rely on” Germany as a buyer for green hydrogen. The comments came just months after the city of Berlin predicted that domestic hydrogen demand would reach 130kWh in 2030, with 50-70% of it expected to be met by imports.
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This initiative builds on the partnership agreement signed at COP28 between the Hydrogen Council and the International Hydrogen Trade Forum (IHTF) to advance international hydrogen value chain development.
In its November (2023) Global Hydrogen Flows Report update, the Hydrogen Council highlighted that long-distance hydrogen transport will reduce overall investment.
read more: Hydrogen Council warns that current hydrogen intake is not enough to achieve net zero
“By 2050, some countries could produce hydrogen for close to $1.50 per kg, with a lower bound on production costs closer to $1.20 per kg,” the report states. . “At the other end of the spectrum, in countries with limited low-cost clean energy potential, domestically produced hydrogen will be quite expensive, typically costing more than $3.50 per kg.”
12 days of content: Hydrogen Europe
If 2023 is the year of hydrogen regulatory completion, 2024 could be the year of political upheaval. Several key elections across Europe are likely to determine the direction and speed of the industry’s expansion.
With three quarters of the year left, we can finally and proudly say that the EU’s main investment framework is almost complete. We now have a definition of renewable hydrogen and binding targets for use in industry and transportation. We have regulations for the maritime and aviation sectors, with binding targets for the deployment of hydrogen refueling stations and carbon emission systems (ETS and CBAM) to limit emissions while protecting the industry from possible displacement. there is. It’s a half glass perspective.
The half-empty view is that the industry is still awaiting European Commission validation of the EU-wide voluntary scheme, so it remains unclear how the certification scheme will actually demonstrate compliance with the renewable hydrogen definition. There is still some uncertainty. Discussions on low-carbon hydrogen have not yet begun, so investments in this area may be delayed until 2025…
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