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Demand for clean hydrogen in the EU’s chemical industry is on steady increase. Author/Source: Sinochem News Network. Date: 2021-07-05. Clicks: 17. A latest assessment report released by the European Commission indicates that by 2026, the consumption of clean hydrogen by the EU’s chemical industry is expected to reach 270,000 tons per year. This estimate does not include clean hydrogen used for ammonia synthesis and energy purposes, which will represent more than a half increase over the current consumption of clean hydrogen. It is reported that the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECH2A), launched by the European Commission in July last year, is developing an investment agenda and supporting the expansion of the clean hydrogen value chain across Europe. An industry blueprint released by the alliance last year projected that investments in clean hydrogen would reach 430 billion euros (approximately 512 billion dollars) by 2030. Earlier in June, the European Commission held a hydrogen forum and released the aforementioned figures. These figures are derived from an analysis of 1,052 renewable energy and low-carbon investment projects within the framework of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance. According to the project overview submitted by the alliance at this forum, 2/3 of the hydrogen production and consumption projects proposed will be deployed within 3.5 years. A total of 35 hydrogen-consuming projects intended for use as chemical raw materials have been submitted to ECH2A; 33 of these are ammonia synthesis projects, and 31 are for use as raw materials in the oil refining industry. The project overview of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance indicates that by 2026, the demand for hydrogen for all industrial applications in Europe is estimated to be around 2 million tons per year. It is predicted that the largest consumer of hydrogen will be the production of synthetic ammonia, with the demand for hydrogen in this sector estimated to be slightly less than 700,000 tons per year by 2026. The oil refining industry comes next, with a demand for clean hydrogen of slightly less than 400,000 tons per year. The chemical industry is the third-largest consumer of clean hydrogen, with a demand of around 270,000 tons per year. Other major consumers of clean hydrogen include the steel industry, among others. The report indicates that by 2030, Europe’s production of clean hydrogen is expected to reach nearly 9 million tons per year, with 84% of this amount projected to be produced via electrolysis.