At the SH2AMROCK projects held its Kick-off meeting on February 28, 2024 Galway University’s vice president of Research and Innovation pointed to the need to ensure that hydrogen technologies become more is visible in daily lives and that SH2AMROCK project would indeed kickstart this process in Ireland. John Finnegan, Principal Officer Hydrogen Policy, Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications confirmed Ireland’s interest to fully embed hydrogen in its energy transition strategy towards 2050. Brendan Kelly, Commercial Manager Renewable Energy, Bord na Móna one of Ireland’s biggest energy companies described his company’s transition from peet exploration towards a full-fledged renewable energy company.  Pietro Caloprisco, responsible Project Officer explained the EU Clean Hydrogen Partnership (CHP) ambition in supporting Hydrogen Valleys as instrument of the Hydrogen Accelerator programme of the EU Commission while Antonio Requena, CHP highlighted the  financial report requirements Financial Officer.

The National Hydrogen Strategy was launched by Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, aboard a hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric double-deck bus.. The National Hydrogen Strategy is the Government’s first major policy statement on renewable hydrogen and is aimed at increasing certainty and reducing commercial risk to drive private sector investment. The strategy explores the opportunity for Ireland, hydrogen production, end-uses, transportation, storage, and infrastructure, alongside safety and regulation, research, cooperation, and scaling. In addition, it determines Ireland’s strategic hydrogen development timeline, seeking to “provide clarity on the sequencing of future actions needed and guide our [the Government’s] work over the coming months and years”. Outlining the rationale for developing an indigenous hydrogen sector in Ireland, the National Hydrogen Strategy identifies three primary policy drivers: 1. Decarbonising the economy Ireland requires a radical transformation of its entire economy if it is to achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050. Indigenously produced renewable or green hydrogen can play a significant role in this transformation, with its potential to be a zero-carbon alternative to fossil fuels in hard to abate sectors of the economy. This includes those in which electrification is unfeasible or inefficient. 2. Enhancing energy security Ireland imports around three-quarters of its energy supply annually. However, by harnessing one of the world’s best offshore renewable energy resources and using the surplus to produce renewable hydrogen, Ireland has an opportunity to reduce reliance and potentially achieve energy independence. While fossil fuels are utilised as a backup to renewable energy sources, renewable hydrogen could become a zero-carbon replacement. As per the National Energy Security Framework, hydrogen is highly energy dense and, therefore, suited to the development of seasonal storage solutions at scale, helping to mitigate variability and seasonal demand 3. Creating industrial and export market opportunitiesIn the long term, Ireland has the potential to produce excess renewable energy, including hydrogen. At the same time, many European countries have identified a long-term demand for renewable carbon imports to meet decarbonisation ambitions. As such, the establishment of an export market could be beneficial to the domestic development of renewable hydrogen. In the short term, the National Hydrogen Strategy establishes a series of actions aimed at enabling the development of Ireland’s hydrogen industry. The strategy aims to removal obstacles which could inhibit hydrogen projects while enhancing knowledge through targeted research and innovation. Established in 2020, the Interdepartmental Hydrogen Working Group is tasked with monitoring the delivery of these actions, while identifying further actions to support progress as the sector evolves. Combining long-term ambitions with 21 short-term actions, the National Hydrogen Strategy aims to: kickstart and scale up renewable hydrogen production; identify end use sectors, supply chains, and required quantities; determine what infrastructure is needed; ensure the implementation of rules around safety, sustainability, and markets; and establish conditions which foster continued technological advancement and innovation.

The EU  Clean Hydrogen Partnership has selected 9 Hydrogen Valley projects following its first call for proposals (2022) after a first Hydrogen Valley was approved in 2021 HEAVENN in Northern Netherlands. The total funding requested for the 9 Hydrogen Valleys amounts to EUR 105.4 million. Hydrogen Valleys contribute to the REPowerEU objectives by scaling up green hydrogen production, supply and consequently to meet the growing demand from industry, transport, and other sectors. The European Commission allocated to the Clean Hydrogen Partnership an additional €200 million through REPowerEU, to double the number of Hydrogen Valleys in Europe by 2025. To date, 25 European hydrogen valleys at different stages of development are part of the Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valleys Platform. All selected projects focus on the production of clean hydrogen and address a variety of applications in the energy, transport, and industry sectors.  It is expected that the projects will be able to mobilise investments of at least 5 times the funding provided by the EU or above EUR 0.5 billion. The Clean Hydrogen Partnership has started the grant preparations for 2 flagship Hydrogen Valleys (projects of a scale significantly larger to what has been supported to date – i.e., producing at least 5,000 H2 tonnes / year, with interlinkages to other places of hydrogen production and/or consumptions outside project boundaries). The first NAHV will be spread across the North Adriatic area (comprising Croatia, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, and Slovenia) and the second, BalticSeaH2, aims to build a hydrogen corridor across Baltic Sea countries, including Estonia and South Finland. Both hace requested 25 mln EU co-funding. In addition, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership has started the grant preparations for 7 smaller scale Hydrogen Valleys projects (at least 500 H2 tonnes / year), focusing on areas of Europe with no or limited presence of H2 Valleys. Each of them will be funded with 8m EUR. The valleys will comprise regions in Bulgaria (Stara Zagora), Greece (Crete and Corinthia), Ireland (Galway), Italy (Lombardy), Turkey (South Marmara) and Luxembourg.