France Hydrogène with a broad industry coalition to call for opening hydrogen targets to low-carbon hydrogen
With the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED3), the European Commission is proposing to support the uptake of decarbonized hydrogen, notably by setting binding targets for the use of RFNBOs in industry and transport sectors. Unfortunately, by limiting the scope of the incentives to electrolytic renewable hydrogen only, the current proposal fails to give a realistic way for achieving this ambition.
Given the magnitude of the decarbonization and EU security of energy supply challenges, the diversity of energy systems within the EU, and the crucial need of steady hydrogen supply all along the process for industries switching their process to decarbonized hydrogen: both renewable and low carbon hydrogen are needed to achieve the 2030 climate targets and a carbon neutrality in the EU by 2050.
The coalition therefore calls on the EU Council to adopt the November 23rd Czech Presidency’s compromise proposal (REV2) to the Hydrogen and Gas Directive 2021/0425 (COD), which adds an article 8a opening to Member States the optional “possibility to use low-carbon hydrogen and low-carbon fuels in decarbonization objectives”.
The signatories of this letter support the EU’s ambition to become a global hydrogen leader and are willing to invest; let’s unlock and deliver that huge potential by adopting a technology neutral approach, with a level-playing field strictly framed in terms of carbon content.
Philippe Boucly, President of France Hydrogène, said: “Hydrogen will be key to decarbonize European industries and transport sector, as well as a crucial driver for European strategic independence. We warmly salute the ambition and all the efforts deployed by the European co-legislators to make this huge potential a reality for Europeans.
However, it appears imperative to open the scope of the quotas set in RED3 for the use of hydrogen in industry and transport sectors, to clean hydrogen production pathways which are distinct of RFNBOs. In some countries with an already low-carbon electricity grid, thanks to the combination of renewables and nuclear, massive large-scale electrolysis projects can be launched swiftly, offering a structuring path for takeoff which shall benefit to the whole hydrogen value chain. This proposal will also allow to reward at their true value non-electrolytic renewable hydrogen, notably produced by pyrogasification or thermolysis of sustainable biomass. Finally, while European industry is today critically threatened, exploiting the structural complementarity between renewable and low carbon hydrogen will be decisive in lowering the costs of the transition and in not creating new energy and industrial dependencies.
Each saved carbon ton counts, and this Czech Presidency’s proposal gives us an historic opportunity to accelerate: let’s seize it!”.
Download the open letter in PDF format below :