Over 40 CSO groups from across Europe have sent an open letter to the EU Commission. They are particularly concerned about the almost 150 large-scale hydrogen transport projects which have applied to receive Project of Common Interest (PCI) or Project of Mutual Interest (PMI) priority status via the PCI/PMI list.
According to the candidate project list provided in the public consultation:
- 90% of the project candidates either openly aim at transporting fossil fuels-based hydrogen (60%) or fail to exclude fossil based hydrogen transport (30%);
- A high number of proposed projects are either identical or similar to infrastructure projects that have been proposed for fossil gas transport in this form before, or are ‘classical’ fossil gas projects not even mentioning hydrogen. –
- 90% of these projects have been proposed by the fossil fuel industry, most of them by ENTSO-G, a fossil gas transport industry umbrella body
Groups are worried that giant planned hydrogen infrastructures will promote the wasteful use of the scarce molecule. Vested fossil fuel interests risk creating a situation in which the PCI/PMI list becomes a priority list for polluters rather than people in Europe.
The signatories ask the EU Commission not support polluters greenwashing fossil gas pipelines through the PCI/PMI list and to protect Europe’s true common interest: real sustainability and energy security.
You can read the joint letter here.