At the European Commission’s PCI Energy Days in Brussels, Philipp Alexander Ostrowicz joined a high-level panel on hydrogen infrastructure and its role in achieving EU climate neutrality. He presented the conclusions from a workshop at CSEI in Copenhagen with ENNOH, ENTSOG, project promoters from five Hydrogen corridors, the Danish regulator, the Italian regulator, a consumer organisation, researchers and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) from Germany and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Key Takeaways from the discussions at the workshop in Copenhagen:
No single instrument can de-risk hydrogen infrastructure on its own – a portfolio approach is essential.
Solutions must combine:
• ICA-based tariff design combined with amortisation accounts
• Targeted guarantees and subsidies at EU and national level
• Smarter cross-border cost sharing and risk allocation
• A full value chain perspective, including industrial users and the last mile
Hydrogen remains central to decarbonising hard-to-electrify sectors, but overcoming bankability challenges will require coordinated action across EU Commission, EU member states, regulators, TSOs, industry, and finance.
A big thank you to the European Commission DG Energy and all participants for driving this critical conversation forward