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international news

EU COMMISSION CHARTS PATH TOWARDS

100% RENEWABLE HYDROGEN

EU COMMISSIONER FOR ENERGY COMMISSION EXECUTIVE VICE- That will require further cost
KADRI SIMSON PRESENTS CLEAN PRESIDENT FRANS TIMMERMANS
HYDROGEN STRATEGY reductions in technologies such as
electrolysers, which aren’t expected to
be fully mature until 2030 at the earliest,
the Commission said in a statement.
Therefore, in the meantime, “other
forms of low carbon hydrogen are
needed to rapidly reduce emissions
and support the development of a
viable market,” the Commission added,
referring to carbon capture and storage
(CCS) as well as hydrogen obtained from
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION the puzzle to help us reach this deeper gas pyrolysis, which generates carbon
unveiled plans in July to promote decarbonisation,” said Kadri Simson, in solid form instead of CO₂.
hydrogen based entirely on renewable the EU’s Energy Commissioner who The good news is that Europe is at the
electricity like wind and solar, but said presented the strategy. forefront of all these technologies, the
low carbon hydrogen derived from fossil By 2050, the EU executive estimates Commission said.
fuels will also be supported in order to that clean hydrogen could meet 24 per “The new hydrogen economy can
scale up production in the short term. cent of the world’s energy demand, be a growth engine to help overcome
Hydrogen is seen as a potential with annual sales in the range of €630 the economic damage caused by
silver bullet to decarbonise hard-to- billion. For Europe, that could translate COVID-19,” said Frans Timmermans,
abate industrial sectors like steel and into one million jobs in the hydrogen the Commission Executive Vice-
chemicals, which currently rely on value chain. President in charge of the Green Deal.
fossil fuels and cannot easily switch to But getting there will take time. “In developing and deploying a clean
electricity. It is also seen as a long- Today, 96 per cent of hydrogen hydrogen value chain, Europe will
term solution for shipping, aviation today comes from fossil fuels, the become a global frontrunner and retain
and heavy-duty road transport where Commission points out, saying: “The its leadership in clean tech,” he said.
electrification is not feasible at the priority is to develop renewable In order to scale up production,
moment, reports Euractiv. hydrogen, produced using mainly wind the Commission said it will follow
“Hydrogen is a vital missing piece of and solar energy”. “a phased approach”.

UNIPER PARTNERS WITH GE TO DECARBONISE GAS PLANTS IN EUROPE

GERMAN UTILITY UNIPER has They have signed an agreement and storage facilities. In a few years,
announced plans to decarbonise its to explore, assess and develop Uniper’s European fleet will consist
gas-fired power plants and natural technology options and produce a mainly of climate-friendly gas-fired
gas storage facilities in Europe in detailed decarbonisation roadmap by power plants and CO₂-free hydropower.
collaboration with General Electric (GE). early 2021, reports Energy Live News. “From now on, our investments
The roadmap will develop an will focus primarily on the further
assessment of potential upgrades and decarbonisation of the gas assets
research and development programmes which could include post-combustion
needed to drive decarbonisation, carbon capture, utilisation and
including increasing the use of sequestration (CCUS) as well as blue
hydrogen in GE gas turbines and or green hydrogen. And here, clean
compressors in Uniper’s power plants hydrogen will – as far as it is possible
and gas storage facilities across Europe. and sensible – replace the fossil
The project will support Uniper’s goal components of the gas plants. If we
of achieving climate neutrality in its also succeed in using our gas storage
European generation business by 2035. facilities to a large extent for hydrogen,
Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of Uniper we will be closer to a solution to the
said: “This agreement with the US core problem of the European energy
manufacturer GE is another proof of our transformation: the lack of storage
commitment to move ahead with the capacity for fluctuating renewable
decarbonisation of our power generation energies on an industrial scale.”
ANDREAS SCHIERENBECK, CEO OF UNIPER

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