Google wants more restrictive ‘green’ hydrogen rules

(EurActiv, 3 Nov 2022) As the multi-year discussion over “green” hydrogen rules continues in Brussels, the US tech giant Google, leading an alliance of several major companies, has called for more restrictions on what can constitute green hydrogen, countering those who seek looser rules.

Hydrogen, an important vector of energy, can be produced using coal, gas, or electricity. The climate-neutral and desirable kind is produced using renewable electricity, creating “green” hydrogen. The European Commission is currently in the process of designing the specific ruleset.

“We write today as companies committed to advancing your goals to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050,” said a letter signed by Google, the renewable energy giant Iberdrola, Wind Europe and others. 

Their letter dived straight into the protracted discussion over the specificities of so-called “additionality” rules, which the EU executive was tasked with developing in 2018. 

Lawmakers in Europe are wary that existing renewables will be cannibalised for hydrogen production, making hydrogen a zero-sum game. To countervail this, EU parliamentarians wanted to tie the desired “green” label to “additional” renewable energy installations.

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EurActiv, 3 Nov 2022: Google wants more restrictive ‘green’ hydrogen rules

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