Germany breaks ranks on green definitions

Government signals intent to replace EU rules on green hydrogen and to review domestic production targets as it resets country’s energy transition strategy

Germany has reignited the debate over the EU’s official definitions of green hydrogen by signalling its intent to replace them with its own ‘simpler’ criteria. The move, set out in mid-September in a broader ‘reality check’ policy paper on the country’s transition strategy, appears to challenge one of the main pillars of the EU’s hydrogen strategy. Compliance with the EU’s Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin  definition of green hydrogen is a prerequisite for producers bidding for EU funding through its flagship European Hydrogen Bank. “Overly complex requirements—such as the strict definition of ‘green hydrogen’ at the EU level—will be reduced and replaced by pragmatic criteria,” the F