Europe's Industry is Preparing for a Hydrogen Offensive

In Brussels, the European Resilience Alliance for Clean Hydrogen and Derivatives (ERA) was officially launched in April. This initiative unites leading European energy and industrial companies along the hydrogen value chain. Among them are several key players in the gas infrastructure sector, such as ENAGÁS, FLUXYS, GASGRID FINLAND, NORDION ENERGI, and Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE). The goal is to accelerate the deployment of clean hydrogen while simultaneously strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of European industry. Companies from the production, transport, storage, and industrial demand sectors are pooling their resources on a common platform to proactively advance the stalled market ramp-up.

Together with Hydrogen Europe, the alliance has published a white paper identifying key obstacles currently hindering market growth. These include fragmented regulatory requirements, complex rules for renewable non-biological fuels (RFNBO), high electricity costs, insufficient demand, and uncertainties surrounding infrastructure development. As a result, less than seven percent of major hydrogen projects have reached a final investment decision to date.

The ERA therefore intends to present a unified voice to policymakers and regulatory authorities in the future, while simultaneously improving coordination across the entire value chain to identify and eliminate bottlenecks. The goal is to accelerate project implementation and create the conditions for a viable hydrogen economy in Europe.

In this context, Miguel López, CEO of thyssenkrupp AG, emphasized that Europe's vulnerability is structural. Dependence on energy imports, technologies, and supply chains jeopardizes long-term industrial competitiveness. Building a resilient hydrogen economy is therefore essential not only from a climate policy perspective but also from an economic one.