The European Federation for Transport and the Environment (T&E) has characterized the European Union’s hydrogen strategy as “hazardous.” According to the statement, such a proposal might backfire in terms of decarbonizing maritime and aviation transportation.

According to T&E, the target of green hydrogen and e-fuels providing 5.7 percent of total transportation energy is not supported by facts. Furthermore, this move has the potential to boost European power demand by a third.

T&E’s power and energy manager, Geert Decock, said: “We need more hydrogen for industries like shipping and aviation, but the EU proposal is risky since it relaxes ecological requirements and sets an unrealistic target.” The EU should set a realistic objective based on statistics and eliminate the law’s exception for extra renewable power until 2027. Otherwise, we risk having a green fuels strategy that is more harmful than beneficial.”

The EU Commission has implemented a “grandfather provision,” meaning that additionality, or the connection of hydrogen production with new renewable energy generation, does not apply to power plants built before 2027.

If this idea is approved, a hydrogen station built within the next five years may use grid power to produce “renewable” hydrogen indefinitely. When combined with the increasing demand for electricity to manufacture the new hydrogen, the power system would get clogged and home energy prices would rise.