Green hydrogen in Europe
Kickstarting Europe’s green hydrogen market
Green hydrogen Energy transition
Green hydrogen is rapidly emerging on the European energy scene, creating a new market poised for sustainable growth. This growing European H2 market promises a green future, but how much is needed to sustain energy demand until 2030?
Boosting the European green hydrogen market.
The future of green hydrogen in Europe
Hydrogen is expected to be a key instrument for meeting the main objective of the European Union's Green Pact, also known as the European Green Deal: achieving climate neutrality by 2050. To this end, the continent's roadmap to end dependence on fossil fuels sets an annual green hydrogen production of 10 million tonnes by 2030.
Hydrogen accounts for around 2 % of the EU's energy mix, 95 % of which is produced from fossil fuels and releases between 70 and 100 million tonnes of CO2 per year, according to the European Parliament. These figures are still far from ideal levels, but the growing green hydrogen market promises to change Europe's energy reality.
For Monica Swanson, Manager of the Hydrogen Corridors Programme, the world already considers green hydrogen as one of the most important solutions for achieving energy security. However, its production is still very low: "We need to make hydrogen part of the energy mix because it is one of the real zero-emission solutions.
In this scenario, the Port of Rotterdam is positioned as a strategic logistics hub for the green hydrogen business in Europe. Its strategic location offers direct access from the North Sea and a perfect connection to the industries of the northwest of the continent, facilitating the development of this new sustainable industry. In fact, in December 2022 Iberdrola reached an agreement with the port to export green hydrogen and its derivatives to the Netherlands.
One of the centres exporting green hydrogen to Rotterdam, the Puertollano plant (Ciudad Real) currently operates as the largest H2 production system by electrolysis in Europe (20 MW). Iberdrola's facility is integrated with a 100 MW solar photovoltaic plant, enabling it to produce up to 3,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year from renewable sources.
Puertollano represents the most ambitious innovation project in Europe to promote the decarbonisation of industrial sectors. "The idea is that we will produce green hydrogen and be able to export it to other places such as the Netherlands, where it is more expensive to produce it", explains Javier Plaza, Iberdrola's Head of H2, who also assures that the Group's objective is for the plant to increase its production to 800 MW in the future.
Source: Financial Times