On Friday 20 May, the European Commission opened two public consultations on two draft delegated acts aimed at clarifying EU rules for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), such as renewable hydrogen.
The first sets out the requirements for renewable electricity used to produce these fuels so that they can be counted as fully renewable.
This includes rules to: (1) ensure the temporal and geographical correlation between the electricity generation unit and the fuel production; (2) ensure that the fuel producer contributes to the deployment or financing of renewable energy so that the increase in RFNBOs production is accompanied by a corresponding increase in renewable energy production (additionality principle).
This second set of rules (those aimed at ensuring compliance with the additionality principle) would, however, only apply from 1st January 2027. In addition, installations producing RFNBOs in operation before that date would not be affected.
Welcoming the exemptions, Hydrogen Europe said it would help attract investors early on in the process.
The NGO Transport&Environment, on the other hand, criticised the proposal. This, the NGO says, would allow a hydrogen production facility built in the next five years to use electricity from the grid - a mix of fossil, renewable and nuclear energy - to develop hydrogen that would then be counted as ‘renewable’.
Through the second draft delegated act, the Commission wishes to establish a methodology for assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from RFNBOs and recycled carbon fuels as well as a minimum threshold for emission reductions from recycled carbon fuels.
According to the draft text, the reduction in emissions from the use of recycled carbon fuels should be at least 70%, similar to what is foreseen for RFNBOs in the proposed revision of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II - see EUROPE 12762/8).
Both public consultations will close on 17 June.
Once the consultations are completed, the Commission will propose a final text to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, the institutions will then have two months to object.
To access the consultations: https://aeur.eu/f/1sx
To see the draft delegated acts: https://aeur.eu/f/1sy (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)