Letter on hydrogen: Electric shock

Spain’s unprecedented blackout highlighted the risk for green hydrogen producers with exposure to Europe’s creaking power grids

Picture this scenario: Industrial plants and power stations across Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe are running at full tilt as their contracted volumes of green hydrogen feedstock arrive as ordered via pipeline network and trucks.   Then the power supply trips. Iberia’s fleet of electrolysers, which feed much of the continent, grinds to a halt and suppliers scramble to tap into storage, paying hefty premiums to secure product for their customers. Power plants temporarily switch to run on natural gas, but some other hydrogen-reliant industrial process are halted, damaging components and wrecking supply schedules in sectors such as steel. Yes, pure fiction, and an over-simplificatio