Rystad Energy says China appears set to smash its national hydrogen targets, solidifying its lead in the global electrolyzer market, while European Union and Japan have agreed to cooperate on hydrogen research.
Rystad Energy said that China's hydrogen electrolyzer capacity could hit 2.5 GW by the end of December, reaching its 2025 green hydrogen production target one year in advance. “This capacity is expected to produce 220,000 tons per annum (tpa) of green hydrogen, 6-kilotons per annum (ktpa) more than the rest of the world combined,” said the Norway-based energy research company. China said it aims to achieve a green hydrogen production target of 200,000 tpa by the end of 2025 under its national plan, which was published in 2022.
Glocal Green and Norwegian Hydrogen said they have signed a “concrete cooperation agreement” for the development of hydrogen production in connection with Glocal Green's planned bio-methanol plant in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway. Bio-methanol will be produced from biological residual materials and by-products from forestry, agriculture, and the marine sector. “By adding hydrogen in the production process, all the green carbon is utilized, resulting in a volumetric doubling of methanol production,” said Norwegian Hydrogen, adding that a jointly owned company will deal with hydrogen production. “The goal here is an annual production of 150,000 tons of bio-e-methanol, which will also involve local production of 15,000 tons of green hydrogen from electrolysis,” said the companies.
The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies said that it is highly unlikely that the European Union and the United Kingdom will reach their 2030 hydrogen targets. It said significant progress was made in completing the regulatory framework on the low-carbon hydrogen market in the European Union and the United Kingdom in 2023.
Eletrobras and Prumo Logística, the holding company that develops the Brazilian port of Açu, have agreed to evaluate the production of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives. “The agreement will assess the technical, environmental, and economic-financial viability of setting up the plant and, also, the use of resources for research and development,” said Eletrobras.
Petrobras and Sinosure, a Chinese export credit agency, have agreed to evaluate investment and cooperation opportunities in low-carbon and green finance initiatives. The aim is to facilitate trade and financial exchanges with Chinese enterprises, said the Brazilian company.