European Union strengthens hydrogen valleys

The European Union is developing hydrogen valleys - local industrial or transport clusters where renewable hydrogen supplies meet local demand. At least 50 hydrogen valleys are expected to be under construction or commissioned by 2030, but there is still much to be done.

The Commission has published a document outlining strategic priorities and actions that are currently underway or planned.

These include, among others, the following actions:

• The Commission will support the ‘Hydrogen Valley Facility’ through the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking - a public-private partnership under Horizon Europe to help hydrogen valleys at an early stage of development to the point where they can start construction.
• The European Hydrogen Observatory, a new knowledge centre on clean hydrogen, has been re-launched to provide stakeholders with the information they need, enabling automated data analysis and reporting to support knowledge-based decision-making.
• The Commission will work closely with Member States and stakeholders to implement the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) of the ERA pilot on clean hydrogen.
• The Commission has approved four further waves of Integrated Hydrogen Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI). Together, these initiatives aim to raise more than €43 billion from a combination of public and private funds in support of more than 120 projects involving almost 100 European companies.
• The European Hydrogen Academy was launched in January 2024 with an EU contribution of €3 million.
• The European Commission intends to develop it into a European Net Zero Industry Academy, as announced in the Net Zero Industry Act, providing a wide range of education, training and retraining.
• The Commission will intensify cooperation with international partners on the deployment of clean hydrogen and the development of hydrogen markets, in particular through the Mission on Clean Hydrogen under Mission Innovation.
• The additional EUR 200 million invested by the Commission in the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking is being used to increase support for hydrogen valleys across Europe.

- Clean hydrogen plays a significant role in the transition to green energy and strategic energy independence. The EU is at the forefront of hydrogen technology thanks to long-term investment in research and innovation. Hydrogen valleys are another important step forward. If policymakers and innovators join forces, we will reach our goal of having at least 50 of them operational or under construction by 2030 across the EU,’ noted Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.

The most advanced Hydrogen Valleys in the world are focused on the Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley Platform, which was launched in 2021 and includes 21 valleys in Europe. There are currently 98 valleys worldwide, 67 of which are in the EU. Of the European hydrogen valleys, 17 have received support from EU research and innovation programmes totalling €262 million.

Source: commission.europa.eu