E.ON: Germany on the way to the 2030 hydrogen target
E.ON: Germany makes progress with green hydrogen, but challenges remain

German energy company E.ON has given a more optimistic assessment of the green hydrogen market in an update to its report. Germany is aiming to reach a capacity of 10 gigawatts of green hydrogen by 2030. This energy is to be produced from renewable sources such as solar and wind power and is expected to help industry replace "gray" hydrogen, which is produced with gas. The new report from E.ON shows that Germany has added new hydrogen projects with greater capacity in the past six months, making meeting the 2030 targets more likely.
According to E.ON, planned hydrogen generation capacity by 2030 is 8.1 gigawatts, up from 5.6 gigawatts in July 2022, making the government's goal of 10 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030 more achievable. The gap between the expected hydrogen demand of 66 terawatt-hours (TWh) and domestic production of green hydrogen has fallen to 43.5 TWh, compared with 50.5 TWh in November last year.
Despite the progress, there are still challenges to overcome. Many hydrogen projects still need final investment decisions, and the green hydrogen transportation network is still a long way off. Although planned hydrogen-only pipelines have increased from 2,273 to 2,813 kilometers, only 417 kilometers of these pipelines are currently in operation.
E.ON's report also highlighted that there are still challenges, such as creating a transport network for green hydrogen. However, in February 2023, the European Commission established regulations that allow nuclear energy to be used as "green" hydrogen, which is a necessary step for investment in the hydrogen market.
Germany is resolutely moving toward a green hydrogen economy to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and meet its climate goals. E.ON's new report shows that the country is on track to meet its 2030 targets. However, it is important that further investments are made to build a stable and efficient hydrogen infrastructure to fully realize the potential of the green hydrogen economy. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
