RWE challenges hydrogen blending push

Efforts better directed at replacing grey hydrogen in sectors such as refining and chemicals, says strategy director at German company

Efforts to develop demand for low-carbon hydrogen should focus on directly replacing existing feedstock in sectors such as refining and chemicals rather than blending into natural gas networks, German energy company RWE told the Aurora Hydrogen Conference in London this week. “Blending is not the right focus,” Sebastian Vogel, director of hydrogen strategy at RWE Generation, told the conference. “Let us get the basics done first and put our efforts into decarbonising industrial sectors. This is a feedstock issue; let us focus on industry and then eventually the energy sector itself.” Blending in large volumes from multiple suppliers could present several “headaches”, including potential secu