EU low-carbon delegated acts could hamper project development

Stringent upstream methane thresholds and ambiguity over compliance with state aid will leave developers struggling, says Hydrogen Europe

The European Commission has published draft rules for the definition of low-carbon hydrogen—which includes blue hydrogen made from reforming of natural gas with CCS, as well as pink hydrogen made from electrolysis using nuclear power. The draft delegated acts are a key component of the revised EU hydrogen and gas market legislation, which came into force in July this year, and are designed to complement previously released guidance on what constitutes “renewable hydrogen”—made from electrolysis powered by renewables. “The delegated acts are important because there are certain pieces of legislation where low-carbon hydrogen is specifically mentioned as supporting decarbonisation targets, for