National Hydrogen Strategy to Focus on Decarbonisation

On Monday 27 September 2021, Luxembourg’s Minister for Energy, Claude Turmes, presented the national hydrogen strategy, which is aimed at decarbonising the Grand Duchy’s economy and energy system.

The Energy Minister noted: "In certain sectors that are difficult to decarbonise by direct electrification, such as heavy industry, for example, hydrogen is a promising low-carbon alternative to support the progress of the energy transition”.

Hydrogen allows energy to be stored and released without a carbon footprint. This is directly linked to the ecological balance of hydrogen production. Only renewable hydrogen, produced from renewable energies, does not cause greenhouse gas emissions, unlike fossil hydrogen.

Luxembourg will prioritise energy efficiency and direct electrification, as Minister Claude Turmes explained: "After having reduced the total energy demand by energy efficiency measures and after having decarbonised all the processes that can be electrified directly with green electricity, renewable hydrogen will be able to play a complementary role in the integration of sectors that are difficult to decarbonise by direct electrification, such as heavy industry”.

At present, Luxembourg’s industrial sector consumes around 450 tonnes of fossil hydrogen per year. The substitution of this fossil hydrogen by renewable hydrogen has been identified as an intermediate objective before achieving the gradual decarbonisation of other processes that are difficult to decarbonise through electrification.

Some of the measures included in this strategy include defining the legal, regulatory and supervisory framework at European Union (EU) level and cooperating with EU Member States and third countries. Other measures include identifying opportunities in Luxembourg (research and innovation), prioritising targeted decarbonisation through renewable hydrogen and developing instruments for a renewable hydrogen market.