Hydrogen could become part of the Czech Republic's energy mix. At the same time, an inter-ministerial working group should be established in the country to assess the possibilities offered by hydrogen in cooperation with the private sector. This week, participants in a parliamentary roundtable held in the Chamber of Deputies under the auspices of Transport Minister Martin Kupka agreed on this.

Opportunities for the development of the hydrogen economy in the Czech Republic in 2024 - this was the topic of the meeting, which was attended by representatives of selected ministries, regions and industry. Two separate panels addressed the role of hydrogen in the decarbonisation of transport in the Czech Republic and also in the context of the future of the Czech energy sector.

„It is crucial that the path to modern transport is as technology-neutral as possible so that we do not put everything on one card. In the future, there will undoubtedly be a place for electric cars as well as hydrogen-powered or synthetic fuel cars. Today's roundtable is one of the appropriate platforms for discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with the possibility of using hydrogen as one of the technological pathways,“ says Transport Minister Martin Kupka.

The experts and government representatives present agreed on the need to establish an inter-ministerial working group to address the future implementation of hydrogen in the Czech Republic's energy mix and to support the development of hydrogen mobility in the Czech Republic.

„Hydrogen is another opportunity for the Czech economy to support the energy security of the state, decarbonise industry or reduce emissions in transport. However, it is important that specific projects are cost-effective. That is why we have agreed on the creation of an inter-ministerial working group, which should assess the opportunities that hydrogen as another technology can offer based on cooperation with the private sector,“ says Vojtěch Munzar, MP and Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy.

„Hydrogen belongs on Czech railways and roads“
Hydrogen is becoming a reality not only as an energy source for the economy, but also as a strategic raw material for mobility. According to the representatives of the Hydrogen Mobility Initiative (IVM), hydrogen is an important part of the effort to decarbonise individual and public transport and should be allowed to make its way onto Czech railways and roads.

For example, the Ústí and Moravian-Silesian regions are currently very active in the development of the hydrogen economy and are one of the founding members of the Moravian-Silesian Hydrogen Cluster. The latter has become a major supporter of IVM with its entire membership of more than 30 major industrial enterprises in the region.

„Regional activities aimed at supporting the development of hydrogen mobility are targeted at the areas of systemic use of hydrogen to secure the operation of both regional bus and regional train transport systems with deployment in one of the few economically viable locations across the country. In addition, the Moravian-Silesian region has the ambition to finally tackle the latest symptoms of deteriorating air quality,“ said Daniel Minařík, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Moravian-Silesian Hydrogen Cluster. One of the cluster members, GasNet, even plans to completely replace natural gas with renewable and low-emission gases, i.e. hydrogen and biomethane, by 2050.

In recent years, companies from the Hydrogen Mobility Initiative have invested billions of crowns from their own resources in the development of hydrogen technologies. Last year, a member of the Initiative inaugurated the first domestic public filling station for hydrogen vehicles.

At least 50 hydrogen filling stations by 2030
By 2030, they intend to push for the creation of at least 50 filling stations in suitable locations across the Czech Republic. Ideally, these new stations should be built in cooperation with and with the support of public authorities and the state administration.

Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Transport, two hydrogen stations have been built so far. Up to 12 more hydrogen filling stations will be supported by 2025 and five years later there could be around 20. The Czech Republic has CZK 1 billion ready for hydrogen refuelling stations, of which 5 stations have already been supported, further development will depend on the market for hydrogen mobility and the interest of the respective hydrogen station operators.

Source - ods.cz
Photo - source - ods.cz