On February 9, 2021, European energy regulators within ACER and CEER published the first in a series of documents addressing selected issues covered by the European Green Deal.
The authors presented recommendations concerning, inter alia, the circumstances under which regulation of hydrogen networks is necessary, how to treat existing hydrogen grid infrastructure, and how to meet the regulatory challenges of transforming natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen transportation.
Regulators have identified six guidelines to consider when designing regulations for hydrogen grids:
- dynamic regulatory approach based on periodic market analysis and monitoring,
- defining clear rules for introducing regulation of the hydrogen market at the outset,
- considering the possibility of applying a temporary derogation from the regulations for the existing and new hydrogen infrastructure developed as local networks,
- taking into account the benefits of reusing gas assets for the transport of hydrogen,
- taking into account the cost-reflecting principle to avoid cross-subsidization between the gas and hydrogen networks in the event of a diversion of the gas assets.