On Wednesday, the European Commission (EC) announced its intention to publish a dedicated strategy on hydrogen on 24 June.

The strategy will explore the potential of clean hydrogen in helping the EU economy to decarbonise in a cost-effective way, identify measures required to tackle barriers to scaling up deployment and the use of hydrogen. The Commission has specifically indicated its desire to ensure a European approach to hydrogen, avoiding restrictions to cross-border trade within the EU and working with international partners outside the EU. It also wishes to see the creation of a “robust certification scheme” for hydrogen.

The questions are very relevant, and we have been considering them in our recent work. 

• Our recent report for EFET considered mechanisms to ensure an efficient deployment of low-carbon gases, including the role of certification and the need for central co-ordination (for example in managing a hydrogen switchovers
• The risks that trade might be fragmented as “new” gases start to be deployed across the EU was one we had originally flagged to the Commission in our advice to them on sector coupling issues
• We have been actively engaged in issues related to wider international trade in gases and power-to-X;
• We are currently advising several clients on hydrogen roadmaps, hydrogen infrastructure regulation issues and EU policy on hydrogen and low-carbon gases.

We look forward to reviewing the strategy and and discussing its possible implications with clients when the EC publishes their thoughts in June.

Frontier regularly advises clients on a wide range of energy and regulatory topics.

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