2023 Munich Auto Show (Source: Reuters/Angelika Warmuth)

Annual global production of clean hydrogen could reach 38 million tons (Mt) by 2030 if all announced projects are realized, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its report ‘Global Hydrogen Review 2023’, up 50% from the expected output announced a year earlier.

Some 17 Mt of that will come from projects in the early stages of development, the report said.

Only 4% of this potential production has taken a final investment decision (FID), the report said, twice those with FID in 2022.

China accounts for more than 40% of the electrolysis projects that have reached FID globally, the report said.

Of the 38 Mt, 27 Mt are based on electrolysis and low-emission electricity and 10 Mt will be produced from fossil fuels with carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

China’s electrolyzer capacity jumped to more than 200 MW in 2022, or 30% of global capacity, includiung the world’s largest electrolysis project (150 MW), from less than 10% in 2020.

The country’s installed electrolyzer capacity is expected to reach 1.2 GW – or half of global capacity – by the end of 2023 including a new world record-size electrolysis project of 260MW, it said.

The report said North America and Europe lead in implementing initiatives to encourage low-emission hydrogen production, but noted that the lengthy time lags between the schemes’ announcement and the moment funds are made available is delaying execution and putting some projects at risk.

India presents hydrogen bus

India introduced its first clean-hydrogen-fueled fuel cell bus in the capital Delhi in September, one of two buses that will run specific routes in the National Capital Region, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a statement.

The buses will cover a cumulative 3 lakh (300,000) kilometers in the capital, the Chairman of Indian Oil Shri S M Vaidya said, “to establish the efficacy, efficiency, and sustainability of the complete value chain.”

The Delhi buses form part of the government’s initiative to conduct operational trials of 15 fuel-cell buses on designated routes in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

India aims to become energy independent by 2047 and reach net zero by 2070 by increasing the use of renewable energy across all economic spheres and making India a leading global producer and supplier of clean hydrogen.

By 2030, the country is aiming for a clean hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 Mt per year and an associated energy capacity addition of about 125 GW, the government says.

“The Green Hydrogen Mission which aims to establish a Green Hydrogen ecosystem in India, is on a developmental and progressive path. Hydrogen will be a key player in the transition to a carbon-free economy and will help mitigate climate change,” Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Labor and Employment Shri Rameswar Teli said during the presentation.

Galp, Mitsui to invest in biofuels, hydrogen

Portuguese energy company Galp has taken a final investment decision (FID), in partnership with Japan-based trading company Mitsui, to invest in two projects that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the Sines refiner and of its products, Galp said in a statement.

The projects include a 270 kilotons per annum (ktpa) advanced biofuels unit, together with Mitsui, and 100 MW of electrolyzers for the production of emission-free hydrogen, it said.

Both units are expected to start up during 2025, it said.

The hydrogen project aims to produce up to 15 ktpa of renewable hydrogen and will allow the replacement of around 20% of the existing fossil-fuel-produced hydrogen consumption of the Sines refinery, it said.

Plug Power will provide the 100 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, while Technip Energies will be the main engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) provider.

“These projects are some of the largest of their kind, representing an overall investment of c. €650 million ($688 million). This is a significant contribution to the transformation and growth of the industrial sector in Portugal, placing Galp at the forefront of the development of low carbon solutions necessary for the energy transition,” Galp Chairman Paula Amorim said.

Tajikistan to produce 1 Mt of hydrogen by 2040

The Central Asian nation of Tajikistan plans to produce 1 Mt of clean hydrogen by 2040 for use domestically and for exports, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma told Reuters.

Some 55% of Tajikistan’s total energy supply in 2020 was from renewable sources, of which 58% was hydro or marine, and 42% bioenergy, according to data by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

A total of 93% of electricity generated in the country is from hydropower which is only around 4% exploited.

The country planned to produce 500,000 tons of clean hydrogen by 2030, to be doubled over the following decade, thanks to affordable competitive electric power, Juma told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Tokyo, Japan.

By Reuters Events Hydrogen