The European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, spoke at European Hydrogen Week (see EUROPE 13296/10) on Wednesday 22 November about hydrogen infrastructure, welcoming the fact that discussions were moving “from policy debates to project implementation”.
She explained that she would be joining the inter-institutional negotiations on 27 November on the gas package (see EUROPE 13287/11, 13270/2) “to close the last remaining file on the regulatory framework for hydrogen infrastructure”.
She also indicated that she would soon be presenting the first-ever list of European cross-border hydrogen infrastructure projects, which will include new and re-purposed pipelines, as well as large electrolysers, hydrogen storage facilities and terminals.
“(This list) will lay out, in detail, our vision of how European hydrogen infrastructure will evolve in the forthcoming years. And how this network will connect to neighbouring regions, to our ports, and the rest of the world”, explained Ms Simson.
She cited current projects, such as the pipeline that will transport hydrogen from the port of Zeebrugge to the hinterland in Germany, the expansion of ammonia terminals in the port of Antwerp, and the plans drawn up jointly by the Portuguese, Spanish, French and German grid operators to create a hydrogen corridor to link the renewable energy-rich areas of the Iberian peninsula to European demand centres. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)