The report concludes that clean hydrogen, produced from natural gas and fitted with CO2 capture and storage (CCS), can help decarbonise different sectors within the energy system and enable the shift to a low-carbon economy. Additionally, by locating hydrogen production and CCS facilities in sustainable industrial zones, the development of industrial CCS clusters that share CO2 transport and storage infrastructure can be boosted.
MEPs will exchange views on the newly-proposed Electricity Market Design in the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). One area for reform is the rising share of variable renewable energy in the electricity system. ZEP’s report demonstrates the key role clean hydrogen equipped with CCS can play in providing reliable and clean base load power to realise Europe’s renewable energy demand.
Commenting on the report, Dr. Graeme Sweeney, Chairman of ZEP, said, “More and more countries are recognising the potential for low-cost clean hydrogen to contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy system, including in the heat, power and transport sectors. Our analysis shows that hydrogen production fitted with CCS has lower costs today than electrolysis-derived hydrogen and could play a major role in kick-starting a European hydrogen economy."
"The technologies required to produce clean hydrogen from natural gas with CCS are available today and a number of projects are already operating at a commercial scale. To enable the wider deployment of this technology, Europe needs to invest in CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, as well as developing the necessary hydrogen infrastructure and adaptations at points of use."
"CCS is vital to achieving Europe’s climate goals, providing the only decarbonisation option for most energy intensive industries and delivering significant benefits to society. We now need to move forward in building the cross-border CO2 infrastructure necessary to realise sustainable industrial zones and generate jobs across the European economy.”