Thread by @jonathangaventa

The leaked EU hydrogen strategy is clearly an early draft.

By the time it is published next month, I hope it will cut through the hype and start to confront the difficult unanswered questions about how hydrogen in Europe will be developed.

Thread:

euractiv.com/section/energy…

1) Who will plan, own, operate and regulate hydrogen networks?

Given that hydrogen will often compete directly with gas, how to avoid conflicts of interest?

2) How will the conversion of existing gas pipelines to hydrogen happen?

When will it start and when will it be completed?

What conditions need to be in place?

Will current fossil gas users be forced to disconnect or switch to hydrogen?

3) Will electrolysers be treated as network assets or as production?

How will demand flexibility services for the electricity networks be incentivised?

4) Will the proposed GHG standards for blue and grey hydrogen include upstream emissions, particularly methane?

Who will be responsible for ensuring upstream emissions are monitored, reported and verified (as this currently isn't happening)?

5) Blending green hydrogen into existing natural gas networks fails to create sustainable long-term demand, puts off infrastructure decisions and offers negligible GHG savings. Why is it being promoted in the draft strategy?

6) Finally, how will the EU ensure that subsidies for hydrogen do not undermine market signals for efficiency measures and direct electrification?