The
European Commission has today published its position on two key pillars
of the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan: the Net Zero Industry Act and
Critical Raw Materials Act. As part of this landmark and EU-wide
initiative to secure our own sustainable energy future, initial plans
for the European Hydrogen Bank have also been set in motion.
The Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA)
aims to speed up permitting processes for manufacturing projects in
Member States and will act as a catalyser for private and public
investments for clean technologies. Electrolysers and fuel cells are
highlighted in the regulation as strategic technologies for Europe’s
energy security and resilience.
“The
proposed NZIA demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to
decarbonisation and its support for hydrogen technologies to be a key
component in delivering our climate ambitions. Currently bottlenecked
hydrogen manufacturing projects will benefit from reduced administrative
burdens. By 2030, at least 40% of EU annual deployment needs for clean
technologies are to be produced locally, and a robust NZIA will be
crucial for industry to reach these targets, which can even be surpassed
with the right funding,” said Stephen Jackson, Deputy CEO and Chief Technology & Market Officer at Hydrogen Europe.
The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)
will set the basis for a renewed European approach to the use of raw
materials and the revival of Europe’s sustainable materials market,
focusing on the extraction, processing, recycling, monitoring and
diversification of critical ores, minerals and concentrates, while
strengthening its international outreach to current and future partners.
Electrolysers and fuel cells are dependent on CRMs, thus their
availability and future prices will evidently affect the speed of market
growth.
“Critical
raw materials are the foundations for the green revolution, and we
warmly welcome this timely and relevant proposal. We must ensure a
sustainable and secure supply of these materials to our manufacturers,
as well as an increased focus on circularity to manage their demand;
today’s proposal is the first step towards that. We call on European
policymakers to ensure that these proposed fast-permitting procedures be
maintained and to provide more resources to increase industry
competitiveness,” commented Daniel Fraile, Chief Policy Officer at Hydrogen Europe.
Finally, the Commission has released a communication on the long-awaited European Hydrogen Bank.
The bank will facilitate both local and imported renewable hydrogen,
beginning with an €800 million pilot auction for domestic production of
renewable hydrogen this year, while lawmakers are also assessing the
feasibility of creating a green premiums scheme for which suppliers from
third countries or EU off-takers contracting with third country
producers could also apply.
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe stated “Today
is a turning point for the acceleration of the European hydrogen
economy, thanks to the ambition expressed by the Commission via the NZIA
and CRM acts. This first look at the structure of the long-awaited
hydrogen bank is the cherry on top of what is a momentous day for
European hydrogen. We look forward to continued dialogue with
policymakers as we work to make Europe the global leader in hydrogen for
decades to come.”
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