“Public acceptance is the key to success in creating a hydrogen economy.” That’s the conviction of the European Parliament. It gets it right. Hydrogen is a highly flammable element. That is why MEPs are focusing on safety issues and want to ensure that this does not hold back this still young but promising energy carrier.
The war in Ukraine may speed things up. On March 8, the European Commission proposed a plan to increase Europe’s energy independence from Russian fossil fuels by 2030. This shift could benefit hydrogen.
The Commission stressed that clean hydrogen is the “essential missing piece of the puzzle” for decarbonizing heavy industries, but also for achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
However, the issue of hydrogen safety was identified by the Commission as a major problem. Hydrogen is highly flammable, and its transport and use are subject to strict rules.
“In order to successfully develop a hydrogen economy in the European Union, strict safety standards must be established,” said Angelika Niebler, a German member of the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament. She insisted on the safety of the technologies that guarantee the confidence that Europeans will have in this energy.
Angelika Niebler is a member of the group of MEPs whose work led to a European Parliament report on the “Hydrogen Strategy”. This report insists in particular on the need to obtain the means to promote a culture of safety in the hydrogen sector.
In reality, this issue is divisive. Indeed, some MEPs are much less worried. This is the case of Jens Geier, a German MEP from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), who told EURACTIV: “The industry has been producing and handling hydrogen for decades. Therefore, the expertise on safety and security standards regarding the use of hydrogen already exists.”
But given the major role the European Union hopes hydrogen will play, several policymakers have launched work to improve the reliability of hydrogen production, transportation and use.
The Commission has tasked the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Enterprise with forming an expert group to ensure that “hydrogen safety is properly addressed and managed. This is especially relevant for SMEs, as large corporations have reliable safety protocols in place.
In 2021, the Hydrogen Incident and Accident Database listed 600 accidents and problems worldwide, mostly due to poor training and education.
Besides, training and education are cost-effective components, because piling on strict safety rules would make hydrogen too expensive.
