EU rules still limit green hydrogen growth

Long-delayed delegated acts have been welcomed by the industry, but strict criteria may require governments to help close price gap

The hydrogen sector has broadly welcomed the clarity brought by the EU’s delegated acts defining renewable hydrogen, but many groups warn the strict criteria will make production more expensive than initially anticipated. The rules have been three years in the making and are key to almost all aspects of the development of the hydrogen supply chain. The intervention of the European Parliament led to the softening of some of the initial criteria for what can be defined as renewable hydrogen as set out by the European Commission—mollifying an industry that said the initial rules would be a barrier to investment. “This act brings much-needed regulatory certainty to unlock investments and deploy