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Implementation of RFNBOs targets in industry
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➢ The use of hydrogen in the steel industry yields the highest CO2 abatement potential per tonne consumed with lower and upper ranges comprised between 16kgCO2/kgH2 and 23kgCO2/KgH2.
➢ The European steel sector is expected to be the largest hydrogen industrial user making up 26% of total demand (industry, power, transport) and making it a key driver of the market ramp-up – if the right conditions are in place.
➢ The current levels of hydrogen production in Europe, alongside the corresponding infrastructure must speed up considerably for the steel sector to succeed in its uptake efforts.
➢ National hydrogen policies should be centred upon promoting and enabling the efficient use of clean hydrogen in sectors yielding the highest CO2 emissions abatement potential and with no cost-efficient alternatives to decarbonise.
➢ The RFNBOs (Renewable liquid and gaseous Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) industrial target shall be based on a realistic and holistic assessment of supply and demand, taking international competitiveness into account.
➢ The responsibility to achieve the RFNBOs consumption targets shall be placed at the Member State level with no binding obligation on individual companies.
➢ Provide enabling framework conditions supporting the final uptake of renewable hydrogen in industrial uses as a key precondition for the imposition of consumption targets – which includes:
o Endorsing the prioritisation principle in all national initiatives and policies;
o Closing the price gap for renewable hydrogen via targeted funding schemes such as the European Hydrogen Bank;
o Adopting short-term solutions to alleviate wholesale electricity prices for energy-intensive industries;
o Maintaining a flexible approach in the rules on the production of renewable hydrogen established in the delegated act on additionality and correlation criteria;
o Improving the availability of and accessibility to renewable power and hydrogen purchase agreements (i.e., respectively PPAs and HPAs) for energy-intensive industries;
o Fostering the expansion of renewable energy capacity by concretely accelerating and streamlining administrative permit-granting processes as provided for in RED III in Art. 15+.
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Brussels, 25 July 2024 – Major indicators in the European steel market show a steeper-than-expected downward trend, further impacting the outlook for this year and the next. Poor demand conditions, driven by ongoing factors such as high energy prices, persistent inflation, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, are exacerbated by a manufacturing crisis affecting the largest steel-using sectors, including construction and automotive. According to EUROFER’s latest Economic and Steel Market Outlook, apparent steel consumption is further deteriorating. After a slump (-3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024, its rebound for the full year has been revised downwards (to +1.4% from +3.2%), as well as for 2025 (+4.1% from +5.6%). Similarly, output in steel-using sectors, after a decline in the first quarter (-1.9%), is projected to experience a deeper-than-expected recession (-1.6% from -1%). A recovery is anticipated only in 2025 (+2.3%). Steel imports continue to show historically high shares (27%).
Third quarter 2024 report. Data up to, and including, first quarter 2024
Picture Copyright: European Union, 2024 Source: EC - Audiovisual Service
Brussels, 18 July 2024 – The re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission paves the way for the continuation of the ambitious initiatives started in her first term. For a stronger and prosperous Europe, defining a pragmatic set of measures within the first 100 days of the new Commission mandate is the right step forward to ensure the success of the EU’s industry transition, if properly implemented. The European Steel Association urges that the Clean Industrial Deal be complemented as a priority by a European Steel Pact, as proposed by the German delegation to the European People’s Party (EPP).