Germany has warned a proposed EU timetable for switching away from natural gas in power generation is unrealistic and could hinder the deployment of clean hydrogen in hard-to-abate industrial sectors.

The EU has proposed switching gas-fired generation to a 30pc clean fuels blend by 2026, rising to 55pc by 2030. The timetable is outlined in draft proposals to add natural gas and nuclear to the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy.

“The intermediate targets called for in the fuel switch, with blending rates of decarbonised gases of 30pc by 2026 and 55pc by 2030, are not realistically achievable,” Germany’s federal ministry of economic affairs and climate action says in its initial response to the EU’s draft proposals, which went out to member states for consultation in early January.

“In the (clean hydrogen) market ramp-up phase with scarce availability, the intermediate steps could hinder the application of renewable hydrogen in other sectors, especially industry.”

“The intermediate steps could hinder the application of renewable hydrogen in other sectors, especially industry” German government

The switch to clean fuels should be implemented flexibly from 2036 and should be set out in guidelines, rather than firm rules, taking into account the availability of corresponding fuels for power generation.

Modern and efficient gas-fired plants can provide a bridge to renewables as Germany phases out coal by its 2030 target, the ministry adds.

The response reiterates Germany’s opposition to the proposed inclusion of nuclear power in the EU’s taxonomy. Germany decommissioned three more nuclear reactors in late December, with its last three scheduled to close by the end of 2022. This will mark the completion of a phase-out started by former chancellor Angela Merkel in response to the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.

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Author: Stuart Penson