French grid operator sets up hydrogen dept
French gas grid operator GRTGaz has set up a hydrogen department, it said September 15, saying the gas "will play a major role in the decarbonisation of industry and transport in the future." It has been working on a national hydrogen consultation with fellow grid operator Terega since June.
The hydrogen department will be run by Anthony Mazzenga, who is director of the company's renewable gas programme.
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He said the "important role that hydrogen will play in the decarbonisation of industry and transport is confirmed day by day, whether by the will of the French and European public authorities to deploy their strategy or through concrete production and consumption projects that abound in all the regions. GRTgaz wishes to stand alongside all the carriers of these initiatives to offer the best transport solutions."
GRTgaz says the development of hydrogen "depends on the availability of an infrastructure capable of transporting and storing large quantities of hydrogen, connecting production areas to the consumption, both locally and nationally and at European level."
Dutch regulator consults on hydrogen transport
The Dutch anti-trust agency, Authority for Competition and Markets (ACM) has published draft guidelines on the transport of alternative energy carriers, such as hydrogen, biogas and heat. The guidelines are for consultation and explain the statutory framework based on the rules now valid, it said September 13.
But it said that as the economic affairs ministry is working on a bill for a new Energy Act, which will replace the Dutch Electricity Act and the Dutch Gas Act, "the rules regarding alternative energy carriers that network companies must comply with at the moment, may change."
Network companies cannot generate, trade, or supply alternative energy carriers but they can be involved in the generation, trade, or supply of alternative energy carriers through minority stakes or joint ventures. For example, network companies are able to contribute to the development of alternative-energy-carrier markets, which are often still in their infancy, through public-private partnerships.
The guidelines may be read here in Dutch.
ACM will soon publish the responses to the consultation of the draft guidelines, as well as ACM’s response thereto. In that way, ACM wishes to explain what it has done with the responses to the consultation. All of these responses will be published together with the guidelines.
Dutch pipeline transporter Gasunie has plans to convert its redundant pipes to carry hydrogen, but the assumption that Europe's TSOs will naturally become hydrogen transporters is challenged in some quarters. The pan-European Union energy regulator ACER is concerned that they will dominate, using their profits from gas transport to cross-subsidise their hydrogen transport business and keep out rivals.