Politics

Hydrogen Europe has published a position paper on the European Commission’s planned Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP). The association is calling for targeted support measures to accelerate the scale-up of hydrogen in the transport sector – particularly in aviation, shipping and heavy-duty transport.

This July, the European Commission is expected to present a legislative proposal for the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10). In light of this, leading representatives from hydrogen-related research institutions and industry associations have jointly voiced their position. HZwei spoke with Luigi Crema, President of Hydrogen Europe Research, about the importance of FP10 for the hydrogen sector.

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has presented a draft law to accelerate hydrogen deployment. The aim is to simplify and speed up approval procedures for hydrogen infrastructure. Comments may be submitted until July 28, 2025.

More than 30 leading companies from the energy, automotive and technology sectors are calling on EU heads of state and government to provide stronger support for hydrogen mobility. In a joint letter, they are urging political action to scale up infrastructure and the market.

The EU Commission has proposed a new climate target for 2040: net greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels. According to the Commission, the proposal is intended to strengthen investment in clean technologies and support industry on the path to climate neutrality.

The German federal government has adopted the 2025 draft budget and key figures for 2026. The German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) criticizes massive cuts in hydrogen funding and warns of negative consequences for industry and Germany as a business location.

The National Hydrogen Council (NWR) has published eight theses for a future-oriented hydrogen policy. Among other things, it calls for simplified regulatory frameworks, the rapid expansion of infrastructure and reliable market structures for hydrogen and its derivatives.

The German Hydrogen Association (DWV) welcomes the draft bill implementing the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) in the transport sector. At the same time, the association calls for significantly more ambitious quotas for green hydrogen and electricity-based fuels.

At the beginning of May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared so united in their positions that French media dubbed them "Merzcron." Industry associations from the energy sector believe this renewed Franco-German alignment should be leveraged.

The HyDresden initiative is calling for electrolysis and green hydrogen to be anchored as eligible infrastructure projects within the planned €500 billion special fund. Linde Engineering, Sunfire, and the Fraunhofer IKTS aim to establish Dresden as an international hydrogen hub and to expand domestic value creation.

The US is investing a lot of money in renewable energies and also in hydrogen. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Biden administration has released large sums of money to promote sustainable technologies. Even if at least some of this is likely to be reversed under a new Trump administration, a number of states have embarked on this path and - like New Mexico - are focusing on hydrogen. HZwei spoke to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham about this in Rotterdam in the summer of 2024.

“Two years ago, we were still discussing an ‘All Electric World’ in Berlin. Now it's clear we need both – molecules and electrons.” With these words, the state of Niedersachen’s economy minister Olaf Lies summarized well at this year’s Hannover Messe where we stand today. At the political level, however, this seems to not have been reached by everyone. Otherwise, the quasi funding freeze for H₂ activities at present can hardly be explained. Reason enough for the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) to send a pleading letter to Berlin (see p. 33) – and trigger for a palpable dispute among economic experts.

E-fuels – irrespective of their disputed suitability for the car sector – will be essential for the decarbonization of the transport sector. Hence German transportation minister Volker Wissing is continuing with his campaign to ramp up e-fuels. On June 4, 2024, he underlined his approach by hosting...

A good 450 participants gathered at the specialist conference H₂ Forum in Berlin February 19 and 20 to discuss innovative H₂ technologies, strategies for the market ramp-up and the necessary regulatory framework conditions. A further 1,000 participants were connected online, even despite the considerable time difference in countries such as India and the USA.

Swiss energy concern Axpo had intended to build a hydrogen production facility at the Eglisau-Glattfelden hydroelectric power plant. However the project, which was to be located directly on the German-Swiss border, has now been stopped due to complaints about the granting of a special license.