Nowadays, countries whose economies are heavily dependent on commodities are facing serious challenges. First and foremost, more developed countries are trying to make their energy greener and thus they are more interested in renewable sources of energy. Therefore, Russia as a country with massive gas reserves may soon be unable to find any buyers. The battle between Russia and the US for access to the EU market could become irrelevant as Europe is working on a national hydrogen strategy. If the EU leaders can agree on this strategy, it will no longer need Russian gas. Besides, the switch to hydrogen will make Europe an undisputed leader in this field.
To make this bold idea come true, the EU has established the European Hydrogen Alliance (ENA). It should unite all branches of the hydrogen industry in one chain — from production and distribution to supply and demand. The EU has chosen hydrogen as it can easily and cheaply replace oil and gas in the steel and chemical industries. Giorgio Chatzimarkakis, the Secretary General of Hydrogen Europe, pinpoints that the main aid of the alliance "to let Europe become the global marketplace for hydrogen, and let the euro be the currency in which hydrogen is denominated." Besides, the alliance wants to build its global leadership in this domain and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Europe has long been reluctant to cooperate with Russia. It is tired of constant pressure from the US to switch to LNG. This is why a hydrogen initiative is a gateway for Europe from any agreements with Russia or the US.
It is worth saying that Russia’s Gazprom is also exploring ways to produce emission-free hydrogen. It would enable the company to make the gas greener for Europe. Yet, it is going very slowly and Russia is unlikely to compete with Europe in this field.
