- The first European Hydrogen Backbone Day was held in Brussels on June 7th, 2022. Stakeholders from all over the hydrogen value chain, together with National and European policymakers discussed the future of European hydrogen infrastructure.
- The CEOs of all 31 initiative members presented a pledge to the European Commission to establish hydrogen supply corridors by 2030 as enablers for hydrogen market creation.
- The pledge was presented to Ms. Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director-General Research and Innovation of the European Commission.
EHB Day
In a first of its kind, the EHB initiative hosted an interactive, day-long workshop and conference, exploring the future of European hydrogen infrastructure. The EHB initiative presented their two most recent publications; the updated EHB-vision infrastructure maps as well as their findings on the five envisaged corridors that could be emerging in Europe, which would connect hydrogen supply with demand as well as decarbonise local industry.
External speakers such as Daniel Mercer, Outi Ervasti, Thierry Lepercq and Pawel Stanczak also participated in panel discussions on the role of supply, demand and infrastructure in fast-tracking the development of corridors by 2030.
The day included multiple workshops that helped define and come up with potential solutions to localised hydrogen transportation bottlenecks.
Pledge to establish hydrogen supply corridors by 2030 as enable for hydrogen market creation.
The 31 CEOs of the initiatives’ members presented a pledge to the European Commission to establish hydrogen supply corridors by 2030 as enabler for hydrogen market creation.
In the pledge, delivered to Ms. Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director-General Research and Innovation of the European Commission, the EHB initiative and its members pledge that they are ready to deliver the hydrogen infrastructure needed to achieve Europe’s 2030 hydrogen targets. In order to support this, a clear mandate and the suitable policy and regulatory support is asked from the European Commission.
Identification of five hydrogen supply corridors
The EHB initiative has identified five hydrogen supply corridors that can bridge regional differences in supply and demand and deliver access to abundant and low-cost hydrogen supply in 2030. These corridors connect local hydrogen supply and demand in different parts of Europe, create connections across European regions as well as with neighbouring regions with export potential, in order to meet Europe’s hydrogen import needs. These import connections envisioned by the EHB are consistent with the three major import/hydrogen corridors identified by the Commission in the REPowerEU package.
The following concrete actions are needed to ensure the development of each corridor by 2030:
- Fostering development of new and repurposed hydrogen infrastructure, e.g., by unbundling rules facilitating efficient use of expertise & services from TSOs and by allowing different vertical unbundling models across EU in analogy to natural gas
- Unlock financing to fast-track hydrogen infrastructure deployment by leveraging regional regulatory flexibility and other pragmatic financing solutions (including incentivizing use of hydrogen on demand side)
- Simplify and shorten planning and permitting procedures for renewable energy, hydrogen, and infrastructure projects.
- Intensify energy partnerships with exporting, non-EHB countries providing financing support to reduce the cost of capital in export countries and identifying a common certification system for hydrogen exchanges.
- Facilitate integrated energy system planning of hydrogen, natural gas, and electricity infrastructure
But above all, speed is of the essence, and we need to start now.
An open initiative
The EHB aims to accelerate Europe’s decarbonisation journey by defining the critical role of hydrogen infrastructure – based on existing and new pipelines – in enabling the development of a competitive, liquid, pan-European renewable and low-carbon hydrogen market. The initiative seeks to foster market competition, security of supply, and cross-border collaboration between European countries and their neighbours.
The EHB initiative is looking forward to continuing to discuss its vision with stakeholders including policy makers, companies, and initiatives along the hydrogen value chain. An up-to-date and interactive version of the latest vision maps can also be found in digital format by visiting the EHB initiative’s website at www.ehb.eu.
SOURCE: ehb
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