7 February 2022 - The main aim of the new 2021-2050 hydrogen strategy is to stimulate the production and use of hydrogen to replace fossil fuels, Vjekosalv Jukić from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development said on Monday, presenting a proposal of the strategy.
The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) reported that the proposed strategy has been put to public consultation which will last until 27 February.
"Production is based on low-carbon hydrogen, emphasis is on developing new technologies, that is water electrolysis, and there is also pyrolysis or waste gasification. We will endeavour to make production sites also consumption sites in order to relieve the energy system. That will help in the short term also with regard to storage and in the long term with repurposing existing infrastructure for storage and transport, primarily existing gas pipelines but also the construction of new ones," explained Jukić.
On the other hand, to intensify hydrogen use in transport, it is important to obtain hydrogen-powered vehicles as well as build fueling stations, hence the strategy focuses on investing in electrolyzers and fueling stations.
Essential for that is the education of experts, the development and commercialisation of new technologies, and a potential regional hydrogen centre conceived as the central point for connecting science and the economy, Jukić said.
The domestic economy is faced with a long, expensive and complicated process of energy transition and hydrogen should be an important component of it because, as a fuel of the future and a renewable, it is also a solution for decarbonising industrial processes and the economic sector.
The Director of the Industry and Sustainable Development Sector at HGK, Marija Šćulac Domac, said that hydrogen will be very important for many sectors in maintaining competitiveness. She added that there are some 200-odd projects in the world developing and applying hydrogen technology, with 55% of that being in the EU.
"With its hydrogen strategy, Croatia should enter that prestige club of countries developing their own technologies and contributing more concretely to achieving the EU's green objectives," said Šćulac Domac.
Croatia will have significant funds at its disposal for energy transition from various programmes, both national and European, she added.
The head of the Energy Administration in the Economy Ministry, Kristina Čelić, said that the strategy is particularly important for the transport sector, sea, rail and road, and that it provides a great opportunity to protect the Adriatic from fossil fuels.
She underscored that the objective is for 40% of energy consumption by 2030 to be from renewable sources.
