With ambitions to deepen energy ties and align decarbonization strategies, the European Union has committed €3 million to a technical assistance project designed to fast-track Türkiye’s entry into the green and low-carbon hydrogen economy.
The program, titled Boosting Green and Low-Carbon Hydrogen in Türkiye, is being funded through the EU’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) and executed in close partnership with Türkiye’s state-owned energy enterprise BOTAS (Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation). The collaboration is part of the EU’s broader effort to enhance climate resilience, energy security, and industrial decarbonization among candidate countries, especially those strategically located at the energy crossroads between Europe and Asia.
One of the project’s core pillars is a comprehensive technical assessment of BOTAS’s existing infrastructure—particularly its pipeline, storage, and transmission networks—to determine their readiness for hydrogen integration. While Türkiye has long served as a key transit country for natural gas flowing from Central Asia and the Middle East into Europe, retrofitting these assets for hydrogen transport will demand extensive upgrades.
Hydrogen, especially in its green form produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity, presents distinct challenges for infrastructure originally designed for natural gas. Pipeline materials, compressor compatibility, and hydrogen embrittlement risks must all be rigorously evaluated before large-scale deployment is feasible. The EU-backed study aims to provide BOTAS with a technical roadmap to navigate these adaptations.
The second deliverable—the creation of a Hydrogen Master Network Plan—will map out a coordinated national vision for hydrogen production, transmission, and end-use. This plan is expected to include spatial planning for hydrogen hubs, cross-border infrastructure connections, and industrial off-take strategies, with a focus on hard-to-abate sectors like refining, steelmaking, and heavy-duty transport.
Türkiye’s geographical position offers a strategic advantage in connecting renewable energy-rich regions like North Africa and the Caucasus to European hydrogen markets. However, without a national framework and harmonization with EU standards, the country risks lagging behind regional competitors such as Morocco, Egypt, and Ukraine, which are already implementing structured hydrogen roadmaps with EU support.
The third leg of the project is a stakeholder-focused capacity-building campaign, aimed at upskilling public institutions, energy companies, research centers, and civil society organizations. With hydrogen still in its formative stage globally, skill shortages remain a bottleneck for project execution and regulatory oversight. This program will seek to close that gap by fostering a knowledgeable domestic hydrogen ecosystem capable of supporting planning, certification, and safety compliance.
Given Türkiye’s current reliance on fossil fuel imports—particularly natural gas—the push toward hydrogen aligns with national energy security objectives. Green hydrogen, if scaled effectively, could reduce import dependency while positioning Türkiye as a net energy exporter in the low-carbon economy.
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