The UK government said it has decided not to move forward on a hydrogen town pilot project until after strategic decisions are made on the role of hydrogen in the decarbonization of heat in 2026. “This follows careful consideration of the future of the work in light of the decision in December 2023 not to proceed with the hydrogen village trial in Redcar,” said the government, adding that the decision will depend on its research program, a trial project in Fife, and other similar schemes across Europe.
The Council of the European Union has adopted regulations and a directive to establish common internal market rules for renewable energy, natural gas, and hydrogen, in addition to reforming existing EU gas legislation. The regulations will be directly applicable within six months. “The new rules call for integrated and transparent network planning across the EU, under the principle of ‘energy efficiency first’ and with a forward-looking approach,” said the Council of the European Union. “Gas and hydrogen network operators will prepare a 10-year EU network development plan.”
Cepsa said it has selected Siemens Energy to supply 100 MW of PEM electrolyzers for its La Rábida Energy Park in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva), southern Spain. Cepsa is developing 400 MW of green hydrogen production in Huelva as part of its plans for 2 GW of capacity by 2030, with 1 GW in Huelva and 1 GW in Cádiz. The first phase of the plan is still subject to a pending final investment decision. “The PEM electrolysis will complement the use of alkaline water technology that Cepsa has decided to implement for the remaining 300 MW of the project, which it is developing with partner Fertiberia,” said the Spanish company. Thyssenkrupp nucera is the preferred supplier for 300 MW of alkaline electrolyzers.
Quinbrook said it has launched the development phase of the proposed Green Iron Project in Gladstone, in the Australian state of Queensland. Quinbrook said it will sponsor the detailed evaluation and testing of the Australian ore deposit to prove its quality and scale. Quinbrook said the Gladstone Green Iron project involves exploring, developing, mining, and concentrating magnetite ore at Eulogie, transporting the ore to the Gladstone State Development Zone, and potentially converting it to green iron using hydrogen produced by the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2).
