The EU has set indicative, rather than binding, targets for RFNBOs
EU Council weakens hydrogen targets
Council agrees non-binding goals for renewable fuels of non-biological origin in transport and industry
The Council of the EU has adopted a negotiating position on the Renewable Energy Directive that targets a 2.6pc share of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) in transport by 2030. RFNBOs consist mostly of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels. The Council also agreed that 35pc of the hydrogen used in industry should come from RFNBOs by 2030 and 50pc by 2035. Both targets are “indicative” rather than “binding”—meaning there is no legal recourse if they are not met. Both had been binding under the initial European Commission proposal and have been comprehensively diluted, according to Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of industry group Hydrogen Europe. “Shifting from bindin
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
