The government adopts the Polish Hydrogen Strategy to 2030 with an outlook to 2040

On 2 November 2021 the Council of Ministers adopted resolution No. 149 on the "Polish Hydrogen Strategy to 2030 with an outlook to 2040". The document sets the directions for developing the hydrogen economy in Poland and contains quantitative targets for 2030. Adoption came less than a year after the draft was published for consultation in January 2021 and more than a year after the EU hydrogen strategy of July 2020.

Key targets

According to reports from the day of adoption, the strategy assumes by 2030:

The strategy rests on six goals: deploying hydrogen technologies in the power sector, using hydrogen in transport, decarbonising industry, producing hydrogen in new installations, efficient transmission, distribution and storage infrastructure, and a stable regulatory environment. The content of the document was not yet fully known on the day of adoption, so it is worth verifying the detailed figures in the annex to the resolution.

Significance for biogas and biohydrogen

The strategy focuses on hydrogen from electrolysis and does not treat biohydrogen – produced by biological processes – as a main direction. For the biogas sector, however, it matters in two ways. First, hydrogen and biomethane will compete or complement each other in industry and transport. Second, infrastructure (gas grids, refuelling stations) can be developed in parallel for both carriers.

What next

The strategy is a programme document. Its implementation depends on rules for the hydrogen market, support mechanisms and funds, including from the National Recovery Plan (KPO). For investors, the key question is how quickly regulations will appear on hydrogen networks, certification and project financing rules.

The course of the work

The draft strategy was published for consultation in January 2021 and met with comments from industry organisations concerning, among other things, the short consultation period, compliance with the EU hydrogen strategy, and support mechanisms. Adoption of the document in November closed this stage, but left open questions about implementing rules: regulations for hydrogen networks, hydrogen certification and project financing rules.

What it means for the gas market

The strategy assumes that hydrogen will be used mainly where electrification is difficult: in industry, parts of heavy and urban transport, and in the power sector as energy storage. In parallel, markets for biomethane and other renewable gases will develop. Gas grid operators must therefore plan infrastructure so as to take both carriers into account, and investors must assess which of them will be competitive in a given location.

Numerical targets in perspective

The target of 2 GW of electrolyser capacity in 2030 is clearly smaller than the ambitions of many Western countries. It reflects caution about the costs and availability of cheap renewable energy. In the following years the targets could be adjusted in connection with EU requirements and the development of technology.