The Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) at the University of Bonn, together with the Institute of Energy Economics (EWI) at the University of Cologne, was involved in an analysis of the EU's hydrogen targets for 2030. According to the study, which was conducted as part of the “H2 Reality Check” project, the EU's ambitious plans - including the construction of 40 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity and the production or import of 10 million tons of green hydrogen each - are hardly realistic under the current framework conditions.
The analysis cites high production costs, a lack of willingness to invest, sluggish infrastructure development and geopolitical uncertainties as key hurdles. The growing dependence on imports from countries such as China is particularly problematic. The authors of the study therefore call for a pragmatic and realistic adjustment of the hydrogen strategy in order to better cushion the economic and security policy risks.