MEPs call for ‘coherent framework’ on clean hydrogen, including nuclear

(EurActiv, 14 Oct 2022) In a letter, 19 MEPs from across the political spectrum have urged the European Commission to include low-carbon hydrogen in the production targets for decarbonised hydrogen and to promote domestic production instead of imports.

In its REPowerEU plan presented in May, the Commission set out an objective to develop ten million tons of renewable hydrogen and import the same amount by 2030.

The plan was presented in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the aim of accelerating Europe’s energy transition and ditching Russian fossil fuels “well before 2030”.

However, the Commission’s plan did not mention low-carbon hydrogen, which can be produced either from nuclear electricity or from fossil fuels like gas, with carbon capture and storage technology to bury the emissions underground.

In a joint letter, 19 MEPs from the socialist (S&D), centrist (Renew) and right-wing (EPP and ECR) groups express their disappointment to the European Commission over the issue.

They ask the EU executive to “develop a legal framework for clean hydrogen that is as coherent as possible” and prioritises domestic production, including of low-carbon hydrogen, over imports.

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EurActiv, 14 Oct 2022: MEPs call for ‘coherent framework’ on clean hydrogen, including nuclear

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