West cannot overlook ‘S’ in ESG criteria for hydrogen

While megaprojects outside the EU might have fewer obstacles to producing 100pc renewables-derived hydrogen, the potential human cost must not be ignored

At a time when real-terms emissions reductions are desperately needed, making sure green hydrogen is as ‘green’ as it claims is extremely important. After all, if any electrolytic hydrogen is classified as green, the perverse incentive to burn extra fossil fuels to compensate for additional grid demand from electrolysers could do more harm than good. While the EU’s current delegated acts to the Renewable Energy Directive are taking time to emerge, additionality clauses such as those requiring either dedicated renewables capacity, an almost entirely renewables-dominated grid or temporal correlation to renewable energy production are likely to remain in some form in the final draft in an effor