E.ON calls for green gas quota and tackles hydrogen network

German energy company E.ON has called for a green gas quota to help to reduce the share of fossil gas in the country’s energy mix. In a move timed to coincide with the launch this week of the German government’s Hydrogen Council, the company said only a quota can cut emissions and ensure increased sales of green gases, such as green hydrogen. E.ON says "green gas" should not be restricted by any technology or origin, but the company does not define the term more closely. "If we want to achieve complete decarbonisation by 2050, fossil gas must gradually become green,” said Thomas König, Chief Network Officer at E.ON. “Green gas will therefore be an important pillar of the energy transition alongside the direct use of renewable electricity.” He called for regulatory reliability and an investment-friendly legal framework to underpin the process.  E.ON added that its distribution subsidiary Westenergie is already making its network “hydrogen-ready”. "Our goal is to add the desired amount of green gases to natural gas in our distribution networks or, if necessary, to supply 100 percent hydrogen,” said Westenergie CEO Katherina Reiche, who sits on the Hydrogen Council.

Green hydrogen - produced emission-free  using, for example, electrolysis powered by renewable energy, or by using natural gas and capturing and storing the CO2 - can be used in fuel cells to make synthetic fuels or as a medium to store renewable energy. It is increasingly seen as a silver bullet for sectors with particularly stubborn emissions, such as heavy industry and aviation. Germany has set out to become a global leader in the associated hydrogen technologies, and the government has penned a National Hydrogen Strategy to fulfil these ambitions. It will be overseen by the Hydrogen Council.