In a letter to the Member States, a coalition of eight federations and NGOs specialising in climate action and renewable energies called on Thursday 13 July for the creation of an independent European network of hydrogen network operators. According to the document, this initiative aims to “enhance energy security and rapidly decarbonise hard-to-electrify sectors”, by supporting the development of renewable hydrogen in Europe.
EEB, CAN Europe E3G, Bellona Europe, Wind Europe, SolarPower Europe, EnergyCities and the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition are calling on the European Union to take the lead in this sector in order to promote energy security and achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Renewable hydrogen is seen as an alternative to fossil fuels in sectors such as heavy industry, long-haul aviation and shipping, and can also provide long-term storage for the electricity system.
The proposal is to create an independent entity, the ‘European Network for Network Operators for Hydrogen’ (ENNOH), managed by operators who would work closely with existing electricity networks, such as ENTSO-E, ENTSO-G and ACER, with the sole objective of “planning a cost-efficient and proportionate hydrogen infrastructure development, with no conflict of interest”. This structure would “ensure a competitive market”.
The signatories also stress the importance of consulting the stakeholders and citizens concerned. They propose an integrated approach that combines the rapid deployment of additional renewable energy sources with the production of electricity needed to produce renewable hydrogen.
ENNOH would be responsible for independently assessing the future needs of the hydrogen network, based on sound scientific analysis and reliable economic forecasts. The aim is to minimise additional costs while meeting the specific needs of sectors that are difficult to electrify.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/830 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)