EU renewable H2 definition to enter into force in July

The EU's delegated act defining renewable hydrogen is bound to enter into force next month, after it was published in the bloc's official journal on 20 June.

The regulations will formally enter into force 20 days following the publication, meaning on 10 July.

A four-month scrutiny period for the European Parliament and member states expired last week, with neither rejecting the definition that had been put forward by the European Commission in February. The commission's proposal had already been more than a year overdue.

The process of settling on a definition involved extensive discussions between stakeholders on specific aspects, such as whether hydrogen produced with renewable energy from existing installations would count as renewable (see infographic).

With the definition being finalised, project developers and other industry participants will at last get the certainty that they have long called for. Understanding what will count as renewable hydrogen will be crucial not only for subsidy schemes, such as the European Hydrogen Bank, but also for consumption mandates in industry and transport which took a major step towards realisation recently.

The rules will apply to projects within the EU and abroad. Industry participants have indicated that exporters in some regions, such as the Middle East, may prefer to send their supply to key demand centres in Asia-Pacific rather than to Europe because they perceive the EU's renewable hydrogen definition as too strict. The EU's rules for grid-connected projects, especially the requirement to match renewable power supply to hydrogen output on an hourly basis from the start of 2030, could drive up costs for producers, project developers have said.

While the definition brings certainty for now, it may be adjusted later in the decade. The commission is to review the definition by 1 July 2028 under a clause in the EU's revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).

By Stefan Krumpelmann

EU renewable flowchart