Deciphering the EU’s hydrogen ambitions

PODCAST: With special guest Rachel Parkes, editor of Gas Matters

“When it comes to repurposing natural gas pipelines, it’s not necessarily about what’s the best way to integrate hydrogen into the European gas network but who is the most motivated to make it happen, and you really can’t underestimate the Transmission System Operators’ motivations to bring the European Hydrogen Backbone or some form of it into fruition.”

Listen again to Rachel Parkes, editor of Gas Matters, discussing the commercial rationale behind hydrogen blending and how EU infrastructure regulations are being shaped around that — potentially to the detriment of more cost-efficient decarbonisation pathways.

Rachel explained how the EU Commission intends to regulate hydrogen infrastructure, and why these might fail to attract investment at the scale required to achieve the EU’s own targets.

We also discussed Russia’s putative hydrogen export ambitions, and how today’s volatile EU energy markets affect the production costs of ‘blue’ and ‘green’ hydrogen.

The full 38-min conversation is well worth a listen if you’re interested in understanding these topics. Check it out here:

If you’re pressed for time, here are a few hand-picked highlights:

• EU regulations risk stifling innovation and investment in hydrogen infrastructure — 1m 40s

• How high energy prices impact green hydrogen production — 2m 20s

• The EU Commission’s seems to be softening its stance on blue hydrogen — 1m 59s

• The dubious commercial motivations for blending hydrogen with natural gas — 1m 09s

• Russia’s unlikely push to export turquoise hydrogen to the EU — 2m 20s

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Seb