Poland is the third hydrogen producer in the European Union (following Germany and the Netherlands) with an annual production of 1.3 million tonnes, and the development of hydrogen-based economic ventures is expected to fuel the eight hydrogen valleys operating in the country. However, the rate of uptake of the fuel is too low, according to the Polish Economic Institute’s report ‘The race for hydrogen. Countries and their hydrogen strategies’.

In 2022, only 3.1 % of public research spending in Poland was related to energy, while in other IEA member countries this percentage was more than 12%. Public spending on research related to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in 2022 was only PLN 22.3 million.

In hydrogen production, the development of electrolysis using renewable energy sources (RES) is particularly important. The European Union assumes that annual production of green hydrogen will reach 10 million tonnes after 2030. The value of the associated necessary investment in RES is estimated at 430 billion euros. “Today, the majority of so-called grey hydrogen is produced in Poland, manufactured in industrial plants and used there – mainly by the chemical, refining and food industries. Most hydrogen is used for oil refining and ammonia production. According to a map of hydrogen investments drawn up by the Industrial Development Agency in Poland, 74 entities are currently involved in hydrogen investments”, according to the Rzeczpospolita daily.

The newspaper admits that chances for an increase in the use of hydrogen are provided by collective transport, in which numerous investments are planned. According to a report by the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, of the 900 vehicles currently being purchased by the local authorities surveyed, 6 per cent are hydrogen buses, while by 2028 up to 17 % of the 1,200 low-emission buses will be hydrogen-powered.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński