“We are living in challenging times. If, on the one hand, economic and social recovery are the immediate priority, on the other, we cannot ignore the threat that climate change poses to society”, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Portuguese Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, emphasised at the opening of the High-Level Conference on “Hydrogen in Society - Bridging the gaps”, which is taking place today in the context of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Regarding Europe’s goals for the environment, the Minister recalled that “achieving carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050 and a reduction of at least 55% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 requires profound changes in our energy system and a firm commitment to an energy transition supported by the deployment of renewable energy”.
In the second part of the High-Level Conference on “Hydrogen in Society - Bridging the gaps”, held in Lisbon today, 7 April, the subjects of funding and industrial clusters were discussed. During the last panel, concrete cases of the adoption of hydrogen as fuel in different industrial sectors were also discussed.
Roland Schulze, Managerial Adviser of Low Carbon Energy Technology at the European Investment Bank, highlighted the increasing importance of sustainability in project analysis. “Until very recently, funding was only analysed in terms of feasibility, costs and expected revenue”, the specialist pointed out.
Glenn Llewellyn, Vice-President of Zero Emission Aircraft at Airbus, noted the importance of hydrogen being made available at airports at a fair price. “During this decade, we must work so that more and more hydrogen is available at airports”, he stressed.
A High-Level Conference on “Hydrogen in Society: Bridging the Gaps”, organised under the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, will be held on Wednesday, 7 April at 9 am (Lisbon time).
National and international specialists, representatives of the European Commission, of associations and of different decarbonisation sectors in the economy will take part in this international conference, which will be looking at new economic, industrial, scientific and technological opportunities in the hydrogen sector.
Policies and strategies for boosting the global hydrogen market will also be addressed and the international vision of the challenges and opportunities in the sector, the support mechanisms and the promotion of sustainable value chains will be explored.