Consultation begins on the draft Polish Hydrogen Strategy to 2030 with an outlook to 2040

On 14 January 2021, the Ministry of Climate and Environment published the draft document "Polish Hydrogen Strategy to 2030 with an outlook to 2040" and began a 30-day public consultation. Minister Michał Kurtyka announced the launch of the process. The strategy assumes deploying by 2030 hydrogen production installations with a capacity of 2 GW and sets out directions for the development of the hydrogen economy in the country.

Main assumptions of the draft

The draft is based on six goals:

1. deploying hydrogen technologies in energy and heating,
2. using hydrogen as an alternative fuel in transport,
3. supporting the decarbonisation of industry,
4. producing hydrogen in new installations,
5. efficient and safe transmission, distribution and storage,
6. creating a stable regulatory environment.

The priority is to be hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources, and the types of hydrogen and their treatment were one of the topics of comments on the draft. The document was prepared after the European Commission presented in July 2020 a hydrogen strategy for the whole Union, whose goals are 6 GW of electrolysers by 2024 and 40 GW by 2030.

Criticism and comments

The consultation was short, which was noted in the trade media. There were also comments that the draft does not fully align with the EU strategy – among other things as regards the criteria for distinguishing types of hydrogen. Business organisations and industry associations submitted proposals for changes, concerning, among other things, support mechanisms, network regulation and safety.

Significance for biogas and biohydrogen

From the compendium's perspective, two threads are important. First, hydrogen is a potential complement to or competitor of biomethane in industry and transport, so the pace of development of the hydrogen strategy affects the market environment for renewable gases. Second, definitions of renewable hydrogen include technologies based on biogas and biomass, which may open up space for biohydrogen in the longer term. At present, however, the strategy concentrates on electrolysis as the main technology.

Biogas can also be a source of hydrogen for vehicle refuelling stations, and stable demand for hydrogen in industry (refineries, chemicals) creates a market for projects located near customers.

What next

After the consultation ended, the ministry was to prepare the final version and submit it for adoption by the government. The key questions concerned financing, links with EU funds, and regulatory solutions for hydrogen, including the energy law.

Why the 2030 goals matter

A capacity of 2 GW of electrolysers is a small share against the EU target of 40 GW, but for Poland, which has developed chemical and refining industries consuming hydrogen made from natural gas, it marks the start of a shift to low-emission production. The strategy is also meant to help determine where hydrogen makes economic sense and where direct electrification or biomethane will work better.