Hydrogen – The energy of the future for heavy industry and transport?

Brussels is placing a lot of hope in hydrogen as a potential fuel to decarbonize heavy transport as well as energy-intensive industry sectors like steel and cement. If hydrogen can be rolled out to power trucks, trains, planes and to make steel, the Commission estimates it would account for between 13 percent and 14 percent of the EU’s final energy demand by 2050.

But big questions hang over hydrogen. The first one is if it will be possible to ramp up industrial-scale production of green hydrogen and develop CCS technology to a point where blue hydrogen can be rolled out. And if so, if there will be a market for clean hydrogen in these hard to abate sectors for what today is a much more expensive energy than the conventional alternatives. The next big issue is where it will be made and how, and members states have diverging preferences ranging from nuclear reactors to dams to a mix of offshore wind production plus imports from sunny and windy places like North Africa.

That’s turning hydrogen in a crucial political, economic and climate topic for this Commission, which in July published its dedicated strategy on hydrogen.

• What’s the outlook for hydrogen to be a clean fuel for heavy transport, shipping and aviation?
• How are sectors like steel and cement preparing for a conversion to hydrogen and who are the pioneers in these industries? What are the prospects for hydrogen adoption by other sectors like cars?
• What needs to happen for industrial-scale production and demand of green hydrogen?
• What is the opportunity for the EU to gain a competitive edge by becoming an early mover in the development of clean hydrogen technology?
• Is there a danger that the EU will substitute its dependence on imported oil and gas for a future reliance on imported hydrogen?
• How much can Next Generation EU contribute to delivering a clean hydrogen economy in Europe?
• How long should the transitionary role of blue hydrogen last to achieve the targets?

The second event of our Energy Visions series gathers key European and national policymakers, industry, and NGOs for a frank debate on the role of hydrogen in decarbonizing Europe’s industry and transport, and how the bloc can create a robust clean hydrogen economy.