This innovative session focused on the Global European Hydrogen Facility, as announced by the European Commission this year.
The Facility will be a funding instrument to support the rapid market ramp-up of renewable hydrogen/PtX value chains: it will pave the way for PtX products produced from renewable energies in partner countries (such as those in North Africa) to be available in Europe. This will support the decarbonisation of sectors that are hard-to-electrify or otherwise defossilise, thus representing an essential step towards achieving carbon neutrality.
Speakers debated the export of renewable hydrogen/PtX from North Africa to the EU, and the need for the Facility in order to support this trade and the potential interaction with existing instruments (H2Global).
Synopsis
Demand for investment in green hydrogen is high, especially for sectors that cannot be electrified, such as steel and cement. The Global European Hydrogen Facility is set to invest large amounts into green hydrogen in countries such as Tunisia, and the panel noted the need to develop a system from scratch, thus requiring work to be focused on developing infrastructure, connections, demand, supply and a regulatory framework. Panellists also discussed the importance of partnerships, meeting local needs in producer countries and carrying out local social and environmental risk assessments.
