The European Commission has announced more measures to support the development of green hydrogen as part of a wider package of reforms aimed at reducing emissions by 55pc below 1990 levels by 2030.

The EU already has a hydrogen strategy aiming for 40GW of installed electrolyser capacity by 2030. The impact assessment for the new package of measures estimates this will cost €22bn/yr ($26bn/yr) in the 2021-2030 period.

But among the revisions to the EU legal framework proposed by the Commission—which it says are consistent with the goals of the hydrogen strategy—are targets that hydrogen and synthetic fuels form at least 2.6pc of transport fuel use by 2030.

The Commission has also proposed that hydrogen refuelling stations be made available every 150km along the Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) core network and in every urban “node” serving both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by 2030.

2.6pc – Share of transport fuels to be met by hydrogen and synthetic fuels

It has also laid out a number of options for the certification of green hydrogen under the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (Red II)—including a guarantee of origin scheme.

“The proposed mandatory targets for alternative fuels infrastructure are key to support the penetration of cleaner vehicles and the continued growth of this market which presents extraordinary opportunities for the EU car industry,” says the EU documentation.

Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

There were 127 hydrogen filling stations across the EU in 2019, up from 35 in 2016 and 39 in 2018.

The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation will also deploy infrastructure for recharging battery electric vehicles, with at least at least 1,400kW of recharging points every 60km by 2025 and at least 3,500kW by 2030 on the TEN-T core network.

The TEN-T core network is a series of nine major transport corridors which carry the bulk of EU road transport traffic.

The Commission proposals are the start of a legislative process that will take 6-12 months. They will be discussed in parallel by the European Parliament and representatives of EU member states and amended before a final position is reached and translated onto the statute books.

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Author: Tom Young