17 Amendments of Nicolás GONZÁLEZ CASARES related to 2020/2242(INI)
Amendment 11 #
1. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to establish the European Union as a standard-setting and world-leading region for hydrogen; stresses that hydrogen is an important tool to decarbonise the energy system and to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement; stresses that hydrogen is a necessary energy carrier for achieving climate neutrality by 2050, as set out in the European Green Deal; notes that an ambitious strategy can generate up to 1 million jobs and EUR 150 billion in annual revenue by 2030, while reducing annual CO2 emissions by roughly 560 Mt by 2050; calls, therefstresses in this regard the need to promote training and learning for skilled workers in the sector as well as for future professionals; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to introduce a comprehensive terminology and criteria for the certification of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, since this constitutes the basis for any future investments;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the efforts made so far by the Member States and the Commission to promote hydrogen as an energy carrier for the future; encourages the Commission to continue on this path and to step up its efforts to make the EU a leading force in this sector; calls on the Commission to make the necessary effort to facilitate and boost research and investment in hydrogen by the Member States; stresses the need to include local and regional authorities as essential actors and underlines their role as key actors in ensuring the proper and swift implementation of EU policies;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Emphasises the opportunity which hydrogen offers for many regions that are currently in the process of decarbonising their economy, where boosting hydrogen is a key factor; highlights the potential for job creation in these regions, as well as in many sectors, such as transport or heavy industry, where hydrogen from renewable energy sources will contribute to drastic reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions which they currently generate;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that hydrogen may be produced through a variety of processes; stresses the importance of a clear commitment to the transition to renewable and ultra-low-carbon hydrogen production to achieve the Union’s 2050 climate neutrality target, while ensuring technological neutrality; points out that during a transitional period, incentives will be required to scale-up renewable and ultra-low-carbon hydrogen in industry and the transport sector, building on the established Emission Trading System (ETS) framework; considers it essential to highlight the potential of hydrogen in areas where electrification is not the most efficient option or is not technically possible in the medium term, such as public transport and urban services, or in intermodal transport such as ports, airports and logistics platforms, as well as rail transport;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that hydrogen may be produced through a variety of processes; stresses the importance of a clear commitment to the transition to renewable and ultra-low-carbon- based hydrogen production to achieve the Union’s 2050 climate neutrality target, while ensuringstressing that technological neutrality is no reality in the absence of adequate carbon pricing and internalisation of external costs; points out that during a transitional period, incentives, a reliable regulatory framework and state-support will be required to scale-up renewable and ultra-low-carbon-based hydrogen in industry and the transport sector, buildingparts onf the established Emission Trading System (ETS) framewtransport sectork;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that hydrogen, as an energy carrier, is a keycan be an enabler of the renewable energy transition, as it can stabilise and balance the electricity network and decarbonise heat production, which would be hugely beneficial for low- emission buildings; asks, therefore, the Commission to update and harmonise regulations on hydrogen blending in the short term and supportwith seasonal storage capacities; asks, therefore, the Commission to prudently assess infrastructure plans, raise data about technical possibilities, possible injection points and demand clusters, and corresponding costs and benefits and greenhouse gas reduction potentials, before planning the retrofitting of existing and developing missing networks to replace gas with hydrogen in the medium term, wherever possible;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the potential of hydrogen to decarbonise energy intensive industries and its importance as an industrial feedstock; notes, however, that up to 95 % of hydrogen used in industry today is fossil-based; suggests that these existing use-cases of hydrogen are an opportunity for creating reliable demand for renewable-based hydrogen and should be prioritised in the rollout of renewable- based hydrogen to decarbonise the existing hydrogen consumption; calls, therefore, for the significant scaling up of research and investments in renewable- based hydrogen applications in industry and for State aid rules to allow for targeted support; underlines the importance of IPCEI, enabling EU-wide cooperation and connecting actors on all regional levels for sharing know-how and pooling knowledge, strategies and investment;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the potential of hydrogen to decarbonise energy intensive industries and its importance as an industrial feedstock; notes, however, that up to 95 % of hydrogen used in industry today is fossil-based; calls, therefore, for the significant scaling up of research and investments in renewable hydrogen applications in industry and for State aid rules to allow for targeted support; calls on the Commission, with a view to achieving this objective, to give strong support to the work of reference universities and research centres in the hydrogen sector in the Member States; calls, furthermore, for improved knowledge transfer with the industrial sector to ensure rapid and effective implementation in productive uses of the value chain;
Amendment 141 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that hydrogen’s high demand for cost-competitive renewable energy will exceed Europe’s potential, but should as a priority be produced in Europe to increase security of supply; calls, therefore, for the establishment of new energy partnerships and for inter- connectivity with neighbouring countries, taking into account the fact that new partnerships, especially those with Africa, are a win-win business opportunity, since they support the development of the renewable and hydrogen energy industries on both sidesn countries, could arise as a win-win opportunity, provided that the renewable energy generated is additional, that the strategies are aligned with the partnering countries, with regards especially to their decarbonisation goals and energy security, and that revenues are shared;
Amendment 176 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make the development of electricity grid development, renewable- based hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and hydrogen compatible infrastructures a key spending priority under the Recovery and Resilience Plans, Just Transition Plans, InvestEU, Horizon Europe, TEN-E and TEN-T, and the ETS Innovation Fund; rejects the use of public funds for subsidising fossil- based hydrogen;
Amendment 185 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that the efficiency-first principle has to be respected rigorously in hydrogen production and use; stresses that in many cases direct use of electricity is more efficient than transformation to hydrogen with subsequent use; therefore underlines the need to only use hydrogen where direct electrification is not possible, including certain types of industrial production, aviation and shipping, and prioritising the sectors with the biggest greenhouse gas reduction per generated unit of hydrogen; further emphasises the priority to produce hydrogen from surplus energy including curtailed wind power and to incentivise the production of hydrogen from surplus energy;
Amendment 187 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Encourages the Commission to boost the identification and promotion of areas in the EU considered to be hydrogen clusters or hubs; calls for special support for these environments to ensure that they can carry out their work as a driving force in the implementation of the European hydrogen strategy; underlines the importance of conferring leadership on the European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership as the key organisation for the organisation and transfer of knowledge between the different European clusters;
Amendment 204 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Regrets that training, up-, and reskilling strategies and a just transition towards an H2-ready workforce do not play a role in the EU hydrogen strategy so far; calls on the Commission to raise data about the possible impacts, opportunities and challenges in the transformation of industry, transport and energy towards the scaling-up of hydrogen; Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop sectoral transformation strategies in this regards, together with the companies and the unions.
Amendment 206 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Underlines that for the cost- competitiveness of hydrogen generated from electricity, consumer prices on electricity have to be lowered and external costs have to be included into fossil fuel consumption prices; notes that in no sector the external costs on fossil fuels are sufficiently included and in some sectors prices on greenhouse gas emissions are in fact absent, notably in shipping and aviation; calls for an effective carbon border adjustment mechanism for shielding European production from unfair high-carbon competition;
Amendment 210 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6f. Notes that, despite having invested considerable time and money in research and demonstration of Carbon Capture and Storage, there is still no existing project on industrial scale that shows the viability of this technology; therefore doubts that a relevant rollout of safe and affordable CCS-technologies can arrive in time to make “blue” hydrogen a viable and cost-competitive solution; further stresses that in several industrial applications, including notably concrete production, there are yet no alternative solutions and therefore possible CCS sites have to be reserved for these applications due their limited character; underlines that renewable-based hydrogen can become cost-competitive until 2030, while the technology is already deployable and safe;
Amendment 211 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 g (new)
Paragraph 6 g (new)
6g. Calls for transparency and inclusion of the civil and scientific society in all coordination and planning bodies, especially the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance;
Amendment 213 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 i (new)
Paragraph 6 i (new)
6i. Calls for assessing and improving the resource use in hydrogen production, in line with the circular economy, regarding especially material use for electrolysers and water use;