‘Fit for 55’ could torpedo EU hydrogen

Overly stringent rules on renewable additionality will severely hamper the development of the sector, says letter from over 60 hydrogen sector firms

More than 60 firms involved in the hydrogen sector have signed a letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen raising concerns that the development of the hydrogen economy in the EU could be seriously impeded without revisions on rules for renewable generation. Currently the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ package delegates responsibility for rules on the production of renewable hydrogen from electricity to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). But the requirements of RED II for renewable fuels to prove additionality—coupled with rules on the time and distance between renewable energy generation and its consumption in an electrolyser—could hinder investment in capacity, the letter says.