What goes on in Poland on the 17th of February.
V4 can use violet hydrogen to undermine Nord Stream 2
The V4 states can challenge Nord Stream 2 using hydrogen generated from nuclear power
The Visegrad Group summit is taking place on February 17 in Krakow. It is an opportunity to further discuss the energy cooperation of the countries in the region that want to jointly produce hydrogen from nuclear power, which may become an alternative to import, including from the disputed Nord Stream 2.
Representatives of the Visegrad Group discussed the potential of hydrogen in the region during a meeting with a representative of the Hydrogen Europe lobby organization in early February. According to this organization, the Visegrad countries may become a hub for hydrogen produced from nuclear energy. All of them, apart from Poland, already have nuclear power plants, and Warsaw plans to have the first reactor in 2033. The surplus energy from this source could be used to generate the so-called violet hydrogen.
Poland has proposed a new method of hydrogen classification, which is based on the level of emissions generated during the production of the gas. It stands in contrast to the current taxonomy, which divides hydrogen on the basis of energy source that was used to produce it. The Polish proposition has been met with support from the other Visegrad Group members. According to the definitions proposed by Warsaw, hydrogen generated from nuclear energy will be as zero-emission as the green one produced from renewable sources. According to Hydrogen Europe, the V4 countries have a chance to become pioneers in the production of hydrogen from nuclear energy in the process of binary pyrolysis due to their nuclear potential.
The Visegrad Group joined the discussion on the future of hydrogen in the Council of the European Union in 2020. The V4 countries argued that in the context of the development of hydrogen, the key is to create a legal framework that will not exclude any technologies and will allow to create a market, in line with the position of Poland. The Visegrad countries are to analyze the security of hydrogen supplies from outside of the European Union. The gas may come from North Africa or Ukraine, but also from the disputed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, criticized by Poland and some Visegrad countries.