Clifford Chance

On 29 August 2023, the European Commission (the Commission) published the terms and conditions of the EU Hydrogen Bank's (EHB) first pilot auction with an Innovation Fund budget of EUR 800 million to be paid out as a fixed premium to renewable hydrogen producers. The auction is planned to be launched on 23 November 2023.

In this briefing, experts consider the key proposals of the Strategy, noting that the draft is out for public consultation and that some changes may be made to reflect market feedback. The deadline for responses was 20 June 2023.

One of the first measures announced by the European Commission President von der Leyen, in her September 2022 State of the Union speech, was the creation of a new European Hydrogen Bank (EHB). Six months later, in March 2023, as part of the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan, the European Commission (the Commission) has released a Communication on the EHB to stimulate and support investment in sustainable hydrogen production.

In this briefing, we explore the initiatives being introduced at speed by European institutions to facilitate investment in production facilities for clean hydrogen and related products.

This briefing gives an overview of some of the developments in the Dutch regulatory framework for hydrogen since the publication of the Cabinet Vision on Hydrogen. These developments will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the Dutch hydrogen market, and understanding their impact is essential for sector stakeholders.

As one of the first countries to enact net zero emissions legislation, the UK has led in its ambitions to deliver the net zero transition. The CBI, in partnership with Clifford Chance, worked with investors and businesses to identify “pull factors” for net zero investments and propose immediate actions that need to be prioritised by the government to strengthen the UK’s offer.

Certification schemes for clean hydrogen are being proposed in many countries to help markets develop, by providing certainty as to where the hydrogen has been made, and to track greenhouse gas emissions over its lifecycle. In this briefing, we look at the proposals for a new government scheme in Australia and other frameworks available to producers in the market.

Energy security and affordability have become a major issue for many countries. Rising inflation, increasingly frequent and significant climate events, and an uncertain geopolitical and economic outlook provide a challenging backdrop for governments committed to net zero targets and keen to accelerate the development of low-carbon energy. We highlight some trends which focus on some of the innovations and legal developments that we are seeing in a number of sectors to meet these challenges.