German energy industry weighs benefits of new U.S. fossil fuel policy for blue hydrogen approach
Die Welt
Representatives of the German energy industry say that the policy announcements by the new U.S. administration could benefit their country鈥檚 competitiveness if the next government takes a 鈥減ragmatic鈥� approach regarding president Donald Trump鈥檚 fossil-friendly stance, newspaper Die Welt聽. However, they also cautioned that differences in other policy areas could still pose grave challenges. The head of 骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 largest gas supplier and energy importer Uniper, Michael Lewis, said it was 鈥減ositive鈥� that Trump plans to sell more natural gas from the U.S. and suggested that Germany allows for more 鈥渂lue hydrogen鈥� made with the fossil fuel in its energy transition plans, rather than solely relying on 鈥済reen hydrogen鈥� produced with renewable power sources.
Economist and government advisor Monika Grimm seconded this view, arguing that more blue hydrogen would make it easier for German companies to keep producing in Germany. Trump鈥檚 energy plans 鈥渇unnily enough solve a problem for us,鈥� Grimm argued, pointing to difficulties in bringing green hydrogen production to scale in order to satisfy German industry鈥檚 hunger for new gas after the loss of Russian pipeline supplies. Efforts to boost domestic green hydrogen production so far have remained behind schedule and the 10 gigawatt of production capacity envisaged for 2030 currently appear out of reach, according to Die Welt.
Blue hydrogen has thus far been rejected especially by the Green Party, but the launch of 骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 carbon management strategy opened a path to making the fossil fuel-derived synthetic fuel鈥檚 production climate neutral, the newspaper reported. A surge in global availability of natural gas would then make this approach even cheaper, but blue hydrogen so far remains off limits in the federal government鈥檚 energy plans. Egert Laege, head of the government-owned gas importer SEFE, said that companies would welcome such a step. 鈥淢any of them would benefit from this,鈥� Laege told the newspaper.
骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 Green Party economy minister Robert Habeck聽recently rejected an expansion聽of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the U.S., arguing that the North American country already supplied the largest share of LNG and that Germany should not make itself more dependent on these.
