The European Commission expects to put forward a revised definition of renewable hydrogen by the autumn, having missed its target of doing so in the second quarter, according to a senior official.
The commission will come out with a "targeted review" of the delegated act on a renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) definition "very shortly in the autumn," the director-general for energy, Celine Gauer, told the European Parliament committee on industry, research and energy on 14 July.
The commission said in April it would "propose a targeted review" of the rules before the end of June. Gauer did not explain the delay. Industry participants expect the EU's proposal to be followed by at least four weeks of public consultation, and then parliament and the European Council would need to agree any changes.
The RFNBO definition, made in 2023, included a 2028 review clause. An earlier review is necessary as the hydrogen sector's development has lagged expectations, Gauer said.
"The ramp-up of hydrogen production is far, far away from the expectations we had collectively and from the plans that member states had made," she said. Gauer indicated that hourly correlation could be introduced later than previously planned because of the slow ramp-up.
The new text must not put hydrogen producers in an "unmanageable situation" by providing a narrow timeframe for matching hydrogen output with renewable power supply, she said. Developers have long argued that requiring hydrogen output to match renewable power consumption on an hourly basis from 2030 sharply increases production costs.
Member states and industry participants have pushed for the requirement to be pushed back to 2035 and to retain quarterly correlation until then.
Industry participants expect a deadline for exemption from the RFNBO definition's additionality requirement will also be pushed back.
Gauer said work on specific rules for recognising use of nuclear power in hydrogen production is "nearly done". A draft methodology on "alternative approaches" for this was to be put forward for consultation before the end of June, the commission said in April.
A new EU hydrogen strategy is expected to be published before the end of the year, Gauer said.
