Transatlantic coalition to ship green hydrogen from US to Europe
A group of organisations and companies have formed a coalition, the Transatlantic Clean Hydrogen Trade Coalition (H2TC), to ship green hydrogen from the US to Europe by 2026.
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The coalition comprises climate alliance Mission Possible Partnership (MPP), non-profit organization RMI, system change company Systemiq, energy transition-focused firm Power2X and several other industry participants.
H2TC intends to facilitate the trade of more than three million tonnes of hydrogen annually in the form of ammonia and methanol by 2030. It aims to attain this by supporting first movers in the US Gulf Coast and northwestern Europe.
The initiative expects to engage “market players from suppliers to offtakers, as well as important market-making entities including major ports and associations in the United States and Europe.”
“Clean hydrogen provides a vital substitute for fossil fuels in essential industries such as fertilizer production and steelmaking, and its derivatives are the leading alternative to highly polluting bunker fuel in maritime shipping,” MPP says.
The coalition aims to contribute significantly to the EU’s goal of importing 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030.
It has identified the US Gulf Coast as among one of the “most cost-competitive clean hydrogen exporters to Europe,” due to its world-class ports, existing energy infrastructure networks and access to specialised labour force.
The H2TC members will have access to “in-depth analysis of regulatory and infrastructure requirements, supply and demand matching, and integration with capital markets.”
The effort plans to work closely with the US and European governments to “help them attain clean energy targets and inform regulatory frameworks to enable trade,” MPP adds.
Other coalition partners include the Center for Houston’s Future, the Port of Corpus Christi, the Port of Rotterdam, Ambient Fuels, Apex Clean Energy, Buckeye, BAES Infrastructure, Intersect Power, Linde, LyondellBasell, NextEra Energy, OCI, Shell, STX, Trafigura and Zhero.
“H2TC marks an important step to open the gateway for cross-Atlantic shipments of clean hydrogen. The capacity to import relatively cheap clean hydrogen from the US to complement local production will have a direct and significant impact on the European industry’s efforts to deploy clean production processes at scale, including in the fertilizer, steel, and shipping sectors,” MPP’s co-chair Chad Holliday says.
By Tuhin Roy
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