Stakeholder views are being sought on Ireland’s potential to be a green hydrogen exporter, as part of a consultation launched by the government to inform a hydrogen strategy.
The consultation, which runs until 2 September, is being held to gather the views of stakeholders and interested parties and also sets out areas of interest to be considered in the development of the hydrogen strategy.
The consultation document notes that given Ireland’s substantial offshore wind resource, there is the potential for Ireland to export as a net producer of green hydrogen and poses several questions for feedback in order to gauge Ireland’s potential opportunity to export green hydrogen, the impacts of this on consumers and the economy, how export of green hydrogen compares with the direct export of renewable electricity through interconnectors.
It also asks for stakeholder views on what methods and volumes of exportation are likely to be viable by 2030 and in the period to 2035 and how Ireland should support the development of green hydrogen exports.
The consultation follows on from the Climate Action Plan 2021 which set out the potential green hydrogen has to support decarbonisation across several sectors, including heavy goods transport, high-temperature heat for industry, and electricity generation.
Specific actions relating to hydrogen are set out in the Annex of Actions to the Plan and include testing the technical feasibility of safely injecting green hydrogen blends in the gas grid, assessing the potential for system integration between the electricity and gas networks, which will include the production, storage and use of green hydrogen, and progressing research and pilot studies regarding the use of hydrogen in the transport sector.
There are also a number of other actions, such as those concerning renewable energy in the heat sector, where hydrogen is a relevant factor.
Further measures set out in the Plan include incentivising electrolyser production, developing storage capacity for long duration and seasonal storage of renewable energy, and co-location of electrolysers with renewable energy production infrastructure.
The National Energy Security Framework was developed to address the challenges of ensuring the ongoing and long-term security of affordable energy supply.
A hydrogen strategy for Ireland is one of the key priorities in the Framework.
The strategy will outline the pathways towards the production of green hydrogen, and its use in Ireland’s energy mix.