Portugal - partner country of Hannover Messe 2022 - aims to play a key role in the use of green hydrogen, contributing to an international hydrogen market with the optimal combination of abundance of natural resources, solar and wind energy, its industrial background and its strategic geographical location that allows exports to the main consumer centers. Portugal is the first country in the world to commit to beingcarbon neutral by 2050 and, according to a recent GTAI report, will cover 1.5 to 2 percent of domestic final energy consumption with hydrogen by 2030.
The hydrogen strategy adopted by the Portuguese government in 2020 aims to create support and stability elements in the energy sector in order to gradually introduce hydrogen as a sustainable and unified pillar of a comprehensive strategy for a transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Portuguese government is pursuing an industrial policy around green hydrogen, based on a series of public policies to guide, coordinate and mobilize public and private investments in the production, storage, transport and consumption of renewable gases.
In terms of energy production, Portugal is focusing on photovoltaics because the electricity can be self-generated, which plays an important role in the economic viability of hydrogen projects. For the time being, such projects still have to be subsidized until the basic structures are ready; green hydrogen is not yet competitive with electricity generated from natural gas.
Targets have been set for transport and industry
In the transport sector, between 50 and 100 filling stations for hydrogen are planned by 2030. Heavy goods transport is a particular target group. The government and project experts assume that hydrogen will contribute to the decarbonization of heavy goods transport over long distances and, together with electricity and biogas, will account for 1 to 5 percent of expected energy consumption. By 2030, hydrogen is expected to account for 2 to 5 percent of energy consumption in industry. The focus is on the following industrial sectors: manufacturers of chemical products, mining companies and producers of glass, ceramics and cement.
