Accelerate the ramp-up of the hydrogen market – the federal cabinet decides to update the national hydrogen strategy.
The Federal Cabinet decided to update the National Hydrogen Strategy . The decision in the cabinet was preceded by a political agreement of all departments, incl . of the five core departments for hydrogenthe Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the Federal Development Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Research Ministry.
The National Hydrogen Strategy from 2020 is basically still valid, but is now being further developed with the update to the increased level of ambition in climate protection and the new challenges on the energy market. It sets state guidelines for the generation, transport and use of hydrogen and its derivatives and bundles the federal government’s measures.
A reliable supply of Germany with green, long-term sustainable hydrogen is the declared goal of the federal government.ieof the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The National Hydrogen Strategy from 2020 remains in place in principle, but is now being further developed with the update to the increased level of ambition in climate protection and the new challenges on the energy market.
It sets state guidelines for the production, transport and use of hydrogen and its derivatives and bundles the measures of the Federal Government. A reliable supply of Germany with green, long-term sustainable hydrogen is a declared goal of the Federal Government.
Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection:
By updating the National Hydrogen Strategy, we are setting the framework for the new phase in the hydrogen market ramp-up, which we have consistently initiated since taking office: from research and demonstration to large-scale production. Investing in hydrogen is an investment in our future.
“In climate protection, in qualified jobs and the security of energy supply. The updating of the hydrogen strategy gives these investments a reliable basis and sets the course for close cooperation with our partners in Europe and around the world. In order to successfully implement the strategy, we are also currently working at full speed to create the necessary infrastructure.”
Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister of Education and Research:
Hydrogen is the missing piece of the puzzle for the energy transition.
“It is the great opportunity to combine energy security, climate neutrality and competitiveness. With the update of the National Hydrogen Strategy, we are creating more clarity and planning security for the hydrogen economy at home and abroad.”
“It was particularly important to me that we accelerate the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy and give all sectors equal access to hydrogen. Similarly pragmatic and open to technology, we decided that we initially want to use all climate-friendly types of hydrogen. This is how we are advancing Germany on its way to becoming a hydrogen republic.”
Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, said:
Hydrogen is an essential part of the energy transition and indispensable for successful climate protection.
“It is important that we design the market ramp-up of hydrogen in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way right from the start. In addition, we should use hydrogen efficiently and economically where there are no better options for the Therefore, in the update of the National Hydrogen Strategy, the Federal Government has set itself the goal of achieving a reliable supply of green, long-term sustainable hydrogen for Germany and has committed itself to ambitious sustainability standards for hydrogen and its derivatives, both for domestic production but especially for imports.”
Svenja Schulze, Federal Development Minister said:
The new National Hydrogen Strategy is a far-sighted step, both domestically and internationally.
“The world market for hydrogen must be fair and therefore different than the fossil world economy ever was. Germany’s message to our partner countries is: We not only want to import hydrogen reliably, we also want to help ensure that the new hydrogen supply chains also lead to good, sustainable development.”
“In concrete terms, this means that where wind and solar power is produced for hydrogen, the energy transition is being promoted locally and the local population is being supplied with electricity. And where seawater is desalinated for hydrogen, the nearest town is also supplied with drinking water.”
“From a development perspective, one thing is clear: hydrogen from renewable energies is not only the best choice for the environment, as a cheap domestic source of energy, it also leads to better development in the global South. We will therefore support our partner countries in participating with their fair share in the new world market for hydrogen.”
Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Transport Minister said:
Hydrogen and its derivatives are an important building block for sustainable, climate-friendly mobility and complement other alternative forms of propulsion in a meaningful way.
“Use in the transport sector contributes to the necessary scaling of the hydrogen economy. It is therefore important and logical that transport plays a central role in the update of the National Hydrogen Strategy. The strategy contains many important transport measures, such as establishing a basic network of hydrogen filling stations, promoting renewable fuels and creating the necessary framework conditions. We are also developing a master plan for hydrogen and fuel cell technology in transport.
The measures of the update cover the entire value chain, were often already started parallel to the development of the update of the strategy or are planned in the short term for the year 2023, in the medium term for the years 2024/2025 and in some cases already in the long term until 2030. The following target image is to be implemented with the measures:
- Accelerated market ramp-up of hydrogen: The market ramp-up of hydrogen, its derivatives and hydrogen application technologies will be significantly accelerated and the level of ambition along the entire value chain will be massively increased.
- Ensuring sufficient availability of hydrogen and its derivatives: The target for domestic electrolysis capacity in 2030 is increased to at least 10 GW. The remaining demand is covered by imports. A separate import strategy is being developed.
- ). All major generation, import and storage centers will be connected to the relevant customers by 2030.
- Germany will be the leading provider of hydrogen technologies by 2030: German providers will expand their technology leadership and offer the entire value chain of hydrogen technologies from production ( e.g. electrolysers) to the various applications ( e.g. Fuel Cell Technology).
- Creation of suitable framework conditions: Coherent legal requirements at national, European and, if possible, also international level support the market ramp-up. In particular, this includes efficient planning and approval procedures, uniform standards and certification systems, and administration that is adequately equipped and coordinated at all levels.
- Import strategy:Since the beginning of the legislative period, the federal government has been working hard to ensure the availability of hydrogen through imports from partner countries in addition to ramping up domestic production. For this purpose, an import strategy for hydrogen and its derivatives is being developed in parallel. This also takes into account sustainability criteria in the sense of the global goals for sustainable development. The import strategy will send the signal to partner countries that Germany wants to enter into global partnerships, enable reliable supply chains to Germany, establish sustainable standards and be available as a technology partner. This spring, the federal government reached an agreement with Norway on the long-term supply of hydrogen.
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Accelerate the market ramp-up for hydrogen – Federal Cabinet decides to update the national hydrogen strategy, July 26, 2023
