Portugal’s Environment Minister Joao Matos Fernandes said the country had about €10 billion ($12 billion) worth of private investments lined up for eight green hydrogen projects, with the first production expected in 2022. He noted that there were also several pre-contracts for electrolyzers which are used to produce green hydrogen from water and renewable energy. This zero-emission hydrogen is more expensive to produce compared to extracting the gas from coal or natural gas, known as brown and gray hydrogen, respectively.
Hydrogen is commonly used in the refining and fertilizer industries. However, steelmaking, transportation, and chemicals sectors are starting to develop large-scale hydrogen applications to shift away from fossil fuels. The European Commission has planned to develop and expand green hydrogen projects across sectors with high greenhouse emissions.
