On Tuesday 29 July, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) published its first recommendation (https://aeur.eu/f/i1k ) on intertemporal cost allocation mechanisms for financing hydrogen infrastructure.
These mechanisms serve to offset the high cost of infrastructure and the uncertainty of hydrogen demand, by enabling network operators to gradually recover infrastructure costs, thereby avoiding overcharging early consumers.
The ACER recommendation, required by the Hydrogen and Decarbonated Gases Regulation (see EUROPE 13455/26), identifies the investment risks and proposes guidelines for designing effective mechanisms.
In particular, the Agency stresses the need for EU countries to rapidly establish clear regulatory frameworks for hydrogen and to develop flexible national rules to adapt to future EU hydrogen network codes.
Given the early stage of the hydrogen market, ACER is not yet proposing an EU-wide standardised approach. Instead, it calls on the regulatory authorities to develop national market mechanisms and rules in a coordinated manner. It also calls for greater cross-border coordination.
ACER plans to update its recommendations every two years, with the next update expected in 2027. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)