The National Hydrogen Council (NWR – Nationale Wasserstoffrat) warns: Four years after the formulation of the National Hydrogen Strategy (NWS – Nationale Wasserstoffstrategie), the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany is stalling and the country is at risk of losing ground compared to its international competitors.
Unless Germany now succeeds in creating reliable framework conditions and a rapid development and ramp-up of the hydrogen economy, there is a risk of value chains being relocated abroad – with corresponding job losses and a decline in the competitiveness of many sectors of the economy that continue to rely on gaseous energy sources.
“The German and European energy landscape is on the cusp of fundamental change. Hydrogen has the potential to serve as a key technology in many sectors. However, there is currently a widening gap between the level of ambition and reality,” said Katherina Reiche, Chairperson of the NWR. “We can no longer afford any further delays in the hydrogen ramp-up. The traffic light for green hydrogen is set at red.”
The NWR considers one of the main hurdles to be that the price difference between the supply side and the willingness and ability to pay on the demand side is too large. Although instruments for providing solutions are available, they are not backed by sufficient funds to enable a continuous ramp-up to a liquid hydrogen market. This is being further hampered by a complex and complicated regulatory environment. From the NWR’s perspective, overly restrictive regulation, especially at the beginning of the developing hydrogen market, limits the scope for solutions and has a prohibitive effect on urgently needed hydrogen projects. In addition to sufficiently attractive return and risk profiles, planning security and trust in politics are also crucial for market participants when it comes to establishing and expanding the required infrastructure.
The full statement “Hydrogen ramp-up at risk – immediate measures urgently needed” (“Wasserstoffhochlauf in Gefahr – Sofortmaßnahmen dringend erforderlich”) from 21 June 2024 is available for download here and in the Position Parpers section.
For further information or queries, please contact
Email:
Web: www.wasserstoffrat.de/en
Source of original article: Hydrogen Coordination Office