While all members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) seemed convinced of the indispensable role of hydrogen in the EU’s decarbonisation efforts, they expressed some very different positions at times on the use of various forms of hydrogen, when on Tuesday 1 December Jens Geier (S&D, Germany) presented his own-initiative report on the EU’s ‘hydrogen strategy’ (see EUROPE 12601/8).
Presented on 8 July (see EUROPE 12523/1), this strategy focuses on the development of renewable hydrogen (produced by electrolysers powered by electricity from renewable sources), often referred to as ‘green hydrogen’.
However, it also foresees a role for low-carbon hydrogen, defined by the European Commission as fossil hydrogen with carbon capture, also known as ‘blue hydrogen’, and electrical hydrogen with significantly reduced total greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing hydrogen production.
However, according to Damien Carême (Greens/EFA, France), the strategy should focus on “a massive and coordinated development of hydrogen from renewable energies only (...), contrary to what the EPP and the far right support”.
He therefore called for increased efforts to greatly increase the EU’s renewable energy capacities and to massively encourage research into electrolysis, storage and transport technologies, while strengthening cooperation between renewable energy players.
Manuel Bompard (GUE/NGL, France), who believes it is important not to “conceal the use of gas under another type of energy namely hydrogen”, echoed this view.
To this end, the two MEPs called for a greater say for NGOs and civil society, especially in theEuropean Clean Hydrogen Alliance, which currently has only 7 civil society organisations out of more than 800 members.
Angelika Niebler (EPP, Germany), on the other hand, argued that a genuine European hydrogen market could not be established on the basis of green hydrogen alone, arguing that gas should be used on a transitional basis.
For Thierry Mariani (ID, France), the EU needs to adopt a technology-neutral terminology, which considers low-carbon hydrogen as a clean energy source and does not exclude the use of nuclear power to produce hydrogen. He added: “low-carbon hydrogen should not just have a transitory role, as hydrogen produced solely from wind and solar energy is clearly insufficient to meet European electrification objectives”.
Like Mr Mariani, Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR, Poland) stressed the need for a technology-neutral approach and defended the role of nuclear power. He further called on Mr Geier “to acknowledge that we should continue developing all types of hydrogen, including the grey one (produced from fossil fuels)”.
Members of the ITRE Committee now have until 10 December to table their amendments. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)