Demand for green hydrogen will skyrocket in the EU after the 27 member states finally approved the long-gestating Renewable Energy Directive, which includes mandatory usage targets for renewable H₂ and its derivatives (known in EU parlance as Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin, or RFNBOs).

This means that 42% of the hydrogen used by industry must be green by 2030 (reaching 60% in 2035), with 1% of all fuel used in transport to be RFNBOs by 2030.

And in a separate regulation, known as the ReFuelEU Aviation directive, which was also signed off today by the Council of EU ministers, 1.2% of all aviation fuel must be synthetic fuel derived from green H₂ by 2030.

With about 9.7 million tonnes of grey hydrogen (derived from unabated natural gas) currently consumed in the EU each year — mainly in fertiliser and chemical production and oil refining — the new directive instantly creates demand for about four million tonnes of green H₂ in industry alone by the end of the decade.

It will also ensure permit procedures for renewable energy projects can be accelerated, as member states will design areas where renewable energy projects undergo simplified and fast permit granting processes. This will be similar to the process Germany followed during the energy crisis in 2022 to fast-track natural gas import terminals as a matter of ‘energy security’.

The elevated, quantified 2030 ambitions will have a positive read across the renewable energy and hydrogen sectors and bring focus on the need for generation and supply of hydrogen to kick-start. Provaris is uniquely positioned in Norway to deliver first green molecules to Germany.