The Hydrogen Stream: Wood Mackenzie calls for focus on life-cycle emissions

Wood Mackenzie has urged policymakers and companies to focus on the full life-cycle emissions of hydrogen, while a European Commission has revealed that a European business mission will visit Mauritania in March to explore hydrogen investment opportunities.

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Wood Mackenzie said in a new report that global policymakers need to prioritize regulations and subsidies based on the carbon intensity of hydrogen, rather than just its color. “Because of its potential to deliver almost carbon-free hydrogen, green hydrogen is generating the most industry interest, but it is important exporters and developers look more closely at the full value chain as more regulation is put in place,” said Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst Flor De La Cruz, the author of the report. With more than 40% of the announced project capacity targeting exports, the research consultancy said that it is important to understand hydrogen's full life-cycle emissions, including the processing and transport of ammonia. It argued that exporters will also need to focus on technologies to reduce emissions so they can comply with varying regulations.

IDTechEx said that the materials market for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells could exceed $8 billion by 2034, with on-road vehicles, marine applications, and zero-emission trains driving growth. “The PEM fuel cell for transportation market is set to grow at a CAGR of 28% between 2024 and 2034, but there are key questions to be answered with respect to the components used in fuel cells,” said Conor O'Brien, senior technology analyst for IDTechEx.

Thyssenkrupp Steel has officially launched a call for tenders to supply hydrogen to its first direct reduction plant. “The hydrogen requirement is being put out to tender in a transparent and broad-based procedure, with the aim of operating the direct reduction plant fully on hydrogen by as early as 2029,” said the German company. It said it is organizing the call for tender in coordination with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK), which, together with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is  providing about €2 billion ($2.15 million) of funding for the plant project and the associated hydrogen ramp-up.

The European Commission said that a business mission will explore investment opportunities in Mauritania in March. The delegation will follow up on discussions from the green hydrogen roundtable held in Nouakchott on Feb, 8.

P2X Solutions has been selected to develop a project for a hydrogen production plant that Oulun Energia plans to build in the Laanila industrial area in Oulu, Finland. According to the preliminary plan, the project will include a 100 MW electrolysis plant, a carbon capture facility, hydrogen and carbon dioxide storage capacity, and a processing plant whose final product could be methane or methanol. Enersense, which holds an 18.5% stake in P2X Solutions, said an investment decision will likely be made in fall 2025, with the plant to be ready by 2028 at the earliest.

The Galician Association of Metal Industries and Associated Technologies has said that the Hydrogen PERTE program has selected the Atlantic Wind Supercluster of Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria, along with about 20 partners, to develop a system that will use electricity from offshore wind farms for hydrogen and renewable ammonia production. The project, funded with €7.7 million from Spain's Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism through IDAE, will deploy a floating barge at the Port of Santander by the end of the year for on-site transformation of offshore wind into fuel for maritime transport and industrial purposes.

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