A Roadmap for the Deployment of EU Hydrogen Valleys

Clean hydrogen is widely viewed as an important tool for achieving economy-wide decarbonisation, particularly in sectors where complete electrification is infeasible and other climate-friendly fuel alternatives are lacking. For this reason, the European Commission has set ambitious goals for developing supplies of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and expanding its application in end-uses, such as industry and transportation. Its REPowerEU Plan includes several prominent hydrogen initiatives including a plan to double the number of Hydrogen Valleys operating in Europe by 2025. The term ‘Hydrogen Valley’ refers to a regionally co-located network of hydrogen production, distribution, and end-use infrastructure, analogous to the terms ‘Hydrogen Hub’ or ‘Hydrogen Cluster’ used by other jurisdictions.

Clean Air Task Force (CATF), which has conducted extensive analysis of hydrogen production and deployment challenges in Europe and worldwide, provided recommendations to a recent European Commission consultation for input on its forthcoming REPowering the EU with Hydrogen Valleys Roadmap, which will guide and support European efforts to develop Hydrogen Valleys.

This paper reprises CATF’s full submission to the European Commission in response to its request for input on Hydrogen Valley development, including the additional analysis, information, and discussion CATF provided in support of key recommendations.