The import of renewable and low carbon hydrogen is paramount if Europe is to end its dependency on Russian fossil fuels and realize its climate objectives in 2030.
In REPowerEU, the European Commission rightly acknowledges the need for imports from outside Europe to complement local production of hydrogen and intra-EU hydrogen trading. Diversification of resources and the establishment of new maritime trading routes is key to ensure Europe’s energy security and diversify new, clean energy flows.
A group of companies in the Rotterdam industrial cluster, including the Port of Rotterdam, OCI, Koole, Air Products, Shell, Vopak, VTTI and Votob has issued a joint statement asking European policymakers for a technology-neutral regulatory framework that supports investments of first-movers in import infrastructure in ports, facilitates the deployment of new and existing pipeline infrastructure and supports the set-up of new maritime import corridors.
The signatories of this statement call upon EU policymakers and Member States to urgently:
- Adopt a technology-neutral approach to foster innovation and avoid restrictions on new technologies
- Make use of existing private hydrogen pipeline networks and support the development of new industrial hydrogen networks in parallel with the European hydrogen backbone
- Provide flexibility for Member States in applying third party access for terminals
- Develop targeted financing instruments for hydrogen infrastructure and demand creation
- Acknowledge the importance of intra-EU maritime hydrogen corridors in TEN-T and TEN-E
