France plans hydrogen alliance with Germany

(Clean Energy Wire, 8 Sep 2020) The French government is planning to cooperate with Germany in the development of hydrogen technologies, reports newsagency dpa in article carried by finanzen.net. French economy minister Bruno Le Maire said he plans to travel to Berlin for talks this Friday (11 September).

"I hope that we will manage to find a joint Franco-German and then European project for hydrogen," Le Maire told CNews, adding that France wants to invest seven billion euros in hydrogen technology in the long term, while nine billion euros are planned in Germany.

The French government last week committed seven billion euros to the development of a green hydrogen economy as part of its 100 billion euro recovery plan. Germany laid out its plans in a national hydrogen strategy published in June, and the EU Commission presented its hydrogen proposals shortly after. 

Hydrogen is regarded as an important building block for a climate-friendly future energy supply. However, in order to produce it, water must first be split into hydrogen and oxygen, which uses a great deal of energy. Whether France should use nuclear power to make hydrogen could be an important point in the discussions between the two countries.

External link

Clean Energy Wire, 7 Sep 2020: France plans hydrogen alliance with Germany