Speech by Von der Leyen at the European Hydrogen Energy Conference 2022

 

Your Majesty,
Vice Prime Minister Ribera,
Dear friends of the Spanish Hydrogen Association
and Hydrogen Europe,
Distinguished guests,

For years, science has been telling us that we must end our reliance on fossil fuels to save our planet.

Now the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine has given us yet another reason. That is to secure our energy independence. The transition cannot wait. Scaling up alternative energy sources and carriers is more urgent than ever. And Spain can be a great source of inspiration for the rest of Europe. For at least three reasons.

• First, Spain is a European and global leader for renewable energy.
• Second, Spain has built, through the years, a rich and diversified network of energy suppliers.
• And third, Spain has become a very attractive country for green hydrogen too.

Climate change: MEPs push for accelerated EU action and energy independence

In the first three months of this year, 20 per cent of all new clean hydrogen projects announced in the world were in Spain. That’s impressive. Spain is home to large scale projects like Lacq Hydrogen, where the co-location of solar and electrolysers is cutting the cost of power by two thirds. And gas pipelines are being converted to carry green hydrogen to France and beyond.

A shift is happening in Spain and across Europe: from small-scale subsidised hydrogen to mass-scale competitive hydrogen. Our task is now to accelerate.

Today I would like to focus on four actions that will get us there.

• First, injecting public investment to leverage even more private investment.
• Second, cooperating closely with industry to advance projects and innovation.
• Third, giving the industry the predictability it needs.
• And finally, building a truly global market for hydrogen.

This is how we can build a European and global hydrogen economy. The targets and rules are in place. The investment and tech is there. And together we are making it happen. Because green hydrogen is not just a huge commercial and development opportunity. Green hydrogen is energy security for Europe. And it can provide climate security for the global community.

I wish you a successful conference.

Thank you!

FULL SPEECH: European Commission

Study on accelerating the deployment of guarantees of origin schemes for hydrogen and for the design of a voluntary scheme for compliance with RED II targets

CONTEXT

The European Hydrogen Energy Conference (EHEC) is Europe’s conference of reference in the field of hydrogen energy. This edition will take place on May 18-20th 2022 in Madrid. EHEC was identified in the Spanish Hydrogen Roadmap in 2020 as one of the measures to position Spain as a benchmark for these technologies in Europe.

EHEC provides an excellent framework for updates on hydrogen energy technologies. The perfect setting to showcase advances in R&D projects and products. It will bring together the latest breakthroughs in research and business to stakeholders from a worldwide audience. Additionally, the conference will facilitate the presentation of cutting-edge technologies in electrolysis and fuel cell science for strategic business collaborations to arise.

At the core of EHEC’s main objectives, is to encourage and facilitate networking, create meaningful connections, and foster business opportunities. The conference will enable networking spaces and multiple side events for professionals to explore synergies and potential collaboration opportunities.

EHEC 2022 will shelter a wide range of scientific, technological, and strategic sessions: plenary sessions on the most relevant aspects of worldwide strategies and technological developments, parallel sessions to present leading research breakthroughs, and poster presentations on cutting-edge research topics. Additionally, EHEC 2022 will host engaging side events and an exclusive trade fair, a space for industry and research institutions to promote their latest products and services.

More information about EHEC: EHEC 2022