More than 20 countries, including the U.S., Australia and Germany, joined Japan on Sept. 26 in an agreement to ramp up global clean hydrogen output, Reuters and Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
Representatives gathered at an annual hydrogen conference in Tokyo organized by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, pledging to boost low-carbon hydrogen production to 90 million tonnes per year by 2030.
Hydrogen is an industrial gas that emits only oxygen and water when combusted. When produced with electricity or carbon capture technology, the fuel becomes a low-carbon substitute for natural gas.
Tokyo's target is about the equivalent of total hydrogen demand, which neared 90 million tonnes worldwide in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. But the majority of that demand was met using fossil fuels or by refineries that produce hydrogen as a byproduct. Less than 1 million tonnes were produced by electrolysis, which splits hydrogen and oxygen in water, or in facilities that mitigated their carbon dioxide emissions with underground CO2 storage.
At least a dozen countries have developed hydrogen strategies, driven by decarbonization pledges and skyrocketing natural gas prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war. In August, Germany and Canada committed to developing a trans-Atlantic green hydrogen trade corridor in an attempt to shore up European energy supply.
The Biden administration has also prioritized clean hydrogen development. The U.S. Energy Department made available up to $7 billion for the development of regional hydrogen infrastructure.
"This is a high-priority technology for this administration. And I will say one word about why and that is versatility," Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk said at the time, highlighting hydrogen's use in energy storage, electricity generation, transportation and heavy industry.
Despite global progress in clean hydrogen investment, "more efforts are needed" to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the IEA said.
The DOE and Japan's industry ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Sept. 26 agreement.
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