“Green” hydrogen is gaining recognition as the world’s cleanest fuel. With no carbon footprint and requiring only water and renewable energy to produce, more and more countries are striving to increase production. The European Union is targeting a 6 GW (gigawatt) installed base by 2024, 40 GW by 2030 and 500 GW by 2050. The current base is only 0.1 GW.
Ukraine is one of the potential suppliers of green hydrogen. It is gaining momentum in the country and is seen as a way to achieve Ukraine’s decarbonisation goals. The country has the potential for substantial hydrogen production: it is estimated that more than 500 million m³ of green hydrogen could be produced in Ukraine annually and various hydrogen-related projects are starting to be unveiled in the country.
Alongside Ukraine, Georgia can also become a new player on the green hydrogen market. The water currently wasted during the summer months would be put to better use producing hydrogen, which could then be blended and transported to end-users through existing gas pipelines.
In keeping with this development, the GEFF in Georgia participated in the “Green Hydrogen: Georgia & Ukraine entering the market?” event held online on 10 December 2020. Aleksandr Riepkin, President of Ukrainian Hydrogen Council, Daniel Potash, Chief of Party at USAID Energy Program and David Managadze, EBRD’s Regional Head Caucasus, discussed Ukraine and Georgia’s current standing on green hydrogen and analysed both country’s potential to become major green hydrogen producers.
Ukraine is already taking strides towards hydrogen production. The Ukrainian Hydrogen Council is the first non-EU member of Hydrogen Europe. The country has a hydrogen strategy in place and is already thinking of ways to promote green hydrogen further.
Georgia is just starting to test the water and is studying the current situation. As the Chief of Party at the USAID Energy Program outlined, besides supplying gas to Europe, some of the internal goals for hydrogen in Georgia would be serving the country’s own winter demand, improving energy security and the development of green tourism. Mr Potash went on to detail the potential investment costs of hydrogen production and concluded by making recommendations for further steps.
The conference ended with a presentation by the EBRD’s Regional Head Caucasus, in which David Managadze outlined the Bank’s short-term role in developing the hydrogen economy in its regional operations.
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