Activities of Jordi SOLÉ related to 2023/2123(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Hydrogen Bank
Amendments (31)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to the report of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change of 15 June 2023 entitled ‘Scientific advice for the determination of an EU-wide 2040 climate target and a greenhouse gas budget for 2030-2050’,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU is a party to the Paris Agreement and has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and to achieving climate neutrality by 2050; whereas the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change recommends reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas hydrogen can be usedtechnologies have extremely variable readiness levels along their value chain, with low technology readiness levels for transport and selected uses such as combustion; whereas hydrogen uses, including as a feedstock, a fuel or, an energy carrier and has the potential to decarbonisor as energy storage, differ in terms of energy efficiency, cost efficiency and greenhouse gas emission abatement potential; whereas renewable hydrogen should be prioritised in applications where no more energy or cost-efficient alternatives are available, such as no-regret uses in the hard-to- abate industriesal and heavy transport sectors;
Amendment 10 #
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU hydrogen strategy has set an objective of installing at least 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolysers and producing 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen in the EU by 2030 and the REPowerEU plan has proposed to complement this objective by importing the same amount of renewable hydrogen; whereas the vast majority of emission reduction scenarios analysed by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change stay well below the target for domestic production of renewable hydrogen, and only one surpasses it;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas fuel cells and electrolysers require chemicals, technology-intensive components and several critical raw materials, in particular platinum-group metals, the main producers of which are not located in the EU; whereas these critical raw materials are often sourced from countries in which mining is linked to serious human rights violations, deterioration of governance, conflicts, and environmental degradation;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas a market for renewable hydrogen remains to be built and will require appropriate customer protection and significant investments; whereas price discovery is crucial for consolidating the foundations of this market, targeting public financial support where needed and allowing for effective regulatory oversight and public monitoring;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on the European Hydrogen Bank (EHB); notes that the name ‘European Hydrogen Bank’ can be misleading, as this is not a bank but an initiative aiming to coordinate activities and financing to support renewable hydrogen projects, acting as a one-stop- shop for producers and off-takers; proposes therefore to rename it ‘European Renewable Hydrogen Platform’;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the only sustainable form of hydrogen is renewable hydrogen; notes that electrolysers account for less than 4 % of total hydrogen production in the EU; notes that low-carbon hydrogen could play a role during the transition to a net-zero economy;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that, to secure the EU’s industrial sovereignty in a context of open strategic autonomy, the EHB should strongly prioritise ramping up domestic production in closed industrial loops;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that hydrogen production via electrolysis is water- intensive; calls on the Commission and the Member States to pay specific attention to resource efficiency and to the Water Framework Directive, in particular for regions at risk of drought; advocates for further research on technologies for water desalinisation that minimise energy consumption and environmental impacts, particularly of brine pollution;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises that Hydrogen Valleys can play an important role inas an instrument to support the decarbonisation of industrial districts, thus fostering innovation and contributing to the local economy;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Asks the Commission to consider complementary mechanisms such as grants, contracts for difference and carbon contracts for differencedemand-side mechanisms;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates the importance of geographical balance to enable the production and use of renewable hydrogen across the EU and to ensure that hydrogen is produced as closely as possible to its end users, avoiding unnecessary infrastructure development and risks of leakage during transport; calls on the Commission to develop regional auctions;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the design of future auctions should restrict the sale of renewable hydrogen to no-regret applications in sectors where no more energy or cost efficient alternatives are available, including hard-to-abate industries and heavy transport, and specifically aviation and shipping;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Asks the Commission to not only consider price, but also to include a clear system of bonus points for the ranking of bids; notes that such a system should reward bids that deliver the highest level of sustainability or, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas abatement potential, and lead to significant job creation and promote high-quality traineeships and the reskilling or upskilling of workers;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recognises the urgent need to scale up the production of electrolysers in the EU; proposes differentiating between operating and capital expenditure; considers that potential support for capital expenditure on low-carbon hydrogen should only be directed towards investments that can contribute to the production of renewable hydrogen at a later stage, in particular the purchase of electrolysers, and should not cover operating expenditure on low-carbon hydrogen;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Takes note that the production costs of renewable hydrogen are expected to decrease, also thanks to public financing; recommends the Commission to identify a price ceiling under which there should not be further public financial support, and to introduce a clawback mechanism to reassess production costs at the end of each contractual arrangement, and at least every 5 years;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Non-financial support for the EU hydrogen ecosystem within the EU energy transition
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the Commission’s idea of launching the concept of ‘auctions as a service’; considers that this could lower the administrative costs for the Member States and promote a genuinely European pathway to the energy transition; encourages the Commission to explore its further development for other renewable energy technologies, providing additional incentives for Member States to participate and contribute;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that, despite an increase in the domestic production of renewable hydrogen, growing demand wouldmay require imports from non-EU countries;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Urges the Commission to prepare guidelines with clear and transparent criteria for the selection of producers from non-EU countries that would be eligible for support, based on geopolitical risks, alignment with EU values and commitment to sustainabilityvailability of resources for the domestic energy transition, alignment with EU values and environmental and social standards, including labour conditions and indigenous rights;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. StressRecalls that the EU energy diplomacy should promote the development of rules-based, transparent, and undistorted global hydrogen markets based on reliable international standards and certification schemes; stresses that the EU's hydrogen diplomacy should aim at enabling partner countries, globally and especially in the EU’s neighbourhood, to achieve their energy transitions and improve their environmental, social and democratic standards; underlines the importance of diversifying suppliers and maintaining a fair global playing field when providing support for renewable hydrogen production in non-EU countries; proposes requiring the use of the euro for imports of renewable hydrogen receiving EU support; urges the Union to reinforce its leadership in international standard setting and certification schemes for renewable hydrogen in close cooperation with like- minded partners, the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes note of the budget of EUR 3 billion for the EHB that was announced in the 2022 State of the Union address; calls on the Commission to increase this budget as appropriate;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Asks the Commission to clarify the yearly budget available under each pillar of the EHB, prepare a road map of planned auctions and, where appropriate and compatible with the provisions under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, make a legislative proposal for a financial instrument targeting imports from non-EU countries;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Takes note of the Commission’s proposal establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’), where renewably hydrogen is identified as a critical clean technology requiring further support; asks for the highest level of synergy between the STEP and the EHB, avoiding duplications and possibly through the use of a single portal for renewable hydrogen producers and off-takers;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Welcomes the role of the EHB in increasing transparency on flows, transactions and prices in the emerging renewable hydrogen market; underlines that this function is crucial for increasing market confidence, strengthening regulatory oversight and public monitoring, and informing the integrated planning of energy infrastructure;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Invites the Commission to reassess the hydrogen production targets for 2030 and reduce them by aligning with the emission reduction pathways identified by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change;