The European Resilience Alliance for Clean Hydrogen & Derivatives (ERA) has been officially launched, marking a significant step towards accelerating the adoption of clean hydrogen in Europe. The initiative, which brings together leading industrial companies across the clean hydrogen value chain, aims to address the continent's energy challenges and enhance industrial competitiveness. By uniting industry leaders, ERA seeks to secure strategic autonomy in the face of rapidly changing geopolitical and industrial pressures.
ERA's founding members include a diverse range of companies from various sectors, including ENAGÁS, FLUXYS, FORTUM, GASGRID FINLAND, MOEVE, NORDION ENERGI, OGE, RWE GENERATION, SEFE, STEGRA, and THYSSENKRUPP. These companies are committed to working together to create a cost-competitive clean energy value chain that meets Europe's climate ambitions.
The alliance will focus on two core pillars: providing a unified voice for policymakers at EU, national, and regional levels, and coordinating across the entire value chain to identify and resolve practical bottlenecks. By doing so, ERA aims to create the conditions necessary for a cost-competitive clean energy market.
ERA's launch coincides with the release of a white paper that diagnoses regulatory bottlenecks, stress-tests existing policy frameworks against industrial realities, and details the financial and infrastructure barriers holding back Europe's clean hydrogen market. The document provides concrete policy recommendations to bridge the gap between ambition and deployment.
Despite a large pipeline of projects across the clean hydrogen value chain, fewer than 7% have reached a Final Investment Decision (FID). This highlights the need for urgent, coordinated action from European institutions and Member States to address the challenges facing the market. ERA's efforts aim to address these issues and drive progress towards a more sustainable energy future.
The white paper identifies several key reasons why Europe's clean hydrogen deployment is falling behind ambition, including fragmented EU regulation, complex RFNBO rules, high electricity costs, insufficient demand certainty, and uncertainty around infrastructure development. To overcome these challenges, ERA calls for the creation of stable, bankable demand for clean hydrogen.
ERA also emphasizes the need for clarity and simplification of clean hydrogen support frameworks, highlighting the importance of reducing electricity costs and redesigning EU subsidies to prioritize large-scale, industrially anchored projects. By doing so, the alliance aims to create a more level playing field for industry players.
Furthermore, ERA recognizes the critical role that private capital can play in driving the adoption of clean hydrogen. The alliance seeks to de-risk investment by safeguarding robust project financing mechanisms and directing scarce resources where they matter most.
As ERA embarks on its mission to accelerate the adoption of clean hydrogen in Europe, it is clear that the industry will need to work together to overcome the challenges facing the market. By uniting industry leaders and providing a unified voice for policymakers, ERA aims to drive progress towards a more sustainable energy future.
