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Next in our Hydrogen Horizons series, we explore the latest news from across the global hydrogen market, which is seeing promising progress as both offtakers and projects make significant strides.
The market is seeing continued development from both offtakers and projects’ FIDs1. Offtakers across a range of industries are moving forward, with the German steel industry tenders for green hydrogen progressing well, the H2Global EU import mechanism concluding its first auction for green ammonia, and Japanese importers making further progress on securing low carbon molecules, among others.
At the same time several projects have taken FID and entered into construction. Shell announced FID on a 100MW electrolyser project located at the Rheinland Energy and Chemicals Park in north-west Germany, RWE took FID on 300MW GET H2 Nukleus project in Lingen, Germany, and smaller electrolyser projects in Spain, Norway, Hungary and Germany entered construction or operations. The steel and refining industries continue to mature as early moving and very large offtakers within Europe. The German trade industry association for steel, WV Stahl, released a report that forecasts demand of 850,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2030. The purpose of this is to facilitate the transition of steel production from coal-based blast furnaces onto a hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron (“DRI”) process. To support this transition, the German federal government has awarded a range of transition subsidies to the steel industry which require the procurement of green hydrogen specifically.

In parallel, the European refining sector is supporting large volumes of early activity, with TotalEnergies having previously announced its tender of 500,000 tonnes to decarbonise its six European refineries now joined by Shell’s Rheinland Energy and Chemicals Park project FID, where the stated use is displacing grey hydrogen in the refinery it owns there. Another example of refining demand is the commencement of operations of a 10MW electrolyser at MOL Group’s refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary.
This project will cut emissions by 25,000 tonnes of CO2 per year by replacing grey hydrogen in the supply chain. MOL Group has stated that it is planning similar projects at its other refineries in Bratislava and Rijeka. The EU remains at the forefront of global hydrogen market development, with the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission indicating a continuation of the attractive environment for hydrogen investment that has emerged over the last few years. Since our last update the European Commission has approved national state aid requests that will support the construction of c.200MW electrolytic production projects in the Netherlands and the further development of the German hydrogen core network.
The German hydrogen core network also saw the final submission by German gas network operators of the network map and timetable for delivery. This provides hydrogen producers and consumers visibility on where and when they can expect to connect – a very significant milestone in the development of the German market. Foresight currently has investments in the hydrogen sector at this pivotal time.
Footnote 1 - FID: Final Investment Decision
For more detail, click the links in the title.
For more information on how we are supporting global decarbonisation efforts and helping to drive the green hydrogen market head click here.
Important information – This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. We recommend investors seek professional advice before deciding to invest. Investors must read the relevant Prospectus, Key Information Document, Investor Guides and Offering Documents before making an investment decision. Attention should be paid to the risk factors set out in these documents and risk warnings on our website. The value of an investment, and any income from it, can fall as well as rise.
Key Contacts:
Darron Wale | Institutional IR Lead | International Infrastructure
Adela Baho | Director and Conducting Officer for Risk and Valuation, International Infrastructure
Diomidis Dorkofikis | Partner | International Infrastructure
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