EU hydrogen fuel partnership on its way

One official explained that clean H2 could become critical for powering energy heavy sectors

A new EU hydrogen fuel partnership was being announced when the new industrial strategy was unveiled by the European Commission on Tuesday, March 10. The purpose of the deal is to develop clean H2 technologies as the European Union makes stronger moves toward its goal of carbon neutrality.

The Clean Hydrogen Alliance is meant to build on existing efforts and expand further into H2.

“The Alliance will build on existing work to identify technology needs, investment opportunities and regulatory barriers and enablers,” said a statement from the Commission. It referred to the EU hydrogen fuel partnership as “a new industrial strategy for Europe.”

The statement referred to the fuel as “a clear candidate” for an initiative running throughout the European Union. It is meant to bolster local production of clean gasses in order to become the first continent in the world to reach its climate-neutral objective by 2050, said an EU official as reported by EURACTIV.

The EU hydrogen fuel partnership is expected to get its start as of this summer, said an official.

The Clean Hydrogen Alliance is widely backed by European Union member states and companies linked to the hydrogen value chain. This effort was structured based on the European Battery Alliance. That assembled over 200 companies, research organizations and national governments in connection with battery manufacturing.

“We should be ready before or just after the summer break,” said the official. That individual also explained that the alliance has drawn substantial interest from a number of the bloc’s member states as well as several from a broader “community” of research organizations and industries.

Two EU member states already showing the strongest interest in H2 have been the Netherlands and Germany. They view this source of renewable energy as a possible green solution for slashing heavy industry emissions from sectors such as cement, steelmaking and chemicals.

About a month before the unveiling of the EU hydrogen fuel partnership, Germany had already drafted its own H2 strategy. It revealed its own intentions for the promotion of H2 for powering transportation and to invest millions of euros into the technology’s research and development.