National Strategy for Hydrogen

Council of Ministers Resolution no. 63/2020

Portugal has established the National Hydrogen Strategy according with the attachment of the Council of Ministers' Resolution 63/2020, published on 14/08/2020, which is an integral part of it.

This Strategy aims to contribute to the national and EU decarbonization goal, introducing an element of incentive and stability for the energy sector, promoting the gradual introduction of hydrogen as a sustainable pillar, and integrated into a comprehensive strategy of transition to a decarbonized economy, as well as a strategic opportunity for the sector/country.

It aims to promote and boost both supply and consumption, in the various sectors of the economy, creating the necessary conditions for a true hydrogen economy in Portugal.

The goal is to ensure, in the long term (2050), a decarbonization of the whole Natural Gas and Power Plants network and to contribute significantly to the decarbonization of the transport and industry sectors.

Besides the hydrogen incorporation targets, the strategy also sets other goals that reveal its ambition until 2030, such as installed H2 production capacity, number of H2 vehicles (passengers and goods), creation of 50 to 100 hydrogen filling stations, 2 GW to 2.5 GW of installed capacity in electrolysers.

The Government is promoting an industrial policy around hydrogen and renewable gases, based on the definition of a set of public policies that guide, coordinate and mobilize public and private investment in projects in the areas of production, storage, transport and consumption of renewable gases in Portugal.

The action measures proposed under this strategy aim to:

• Elaboration of legislation, regulation and normative structure that allows the promotion of this new paradigm in Portugal;
• Legislative amendment on the injection of Renewable Gases;
• Incentive on a national scale, based on the priority H2 value chains, considering hydrogen as an energy vector and as a product;
• Promote, develop and monitor projects, in different sectors and scales, given national priority value chains, technological maturity, cost reduction and renewable energy sources;
• Simplification of innovative projects;
• Monetize the stock of existing assets in the energy system and national industry;
• Strengthen national competences and R&I, promote cooperation and support innovation associated with hydrogen;
• Analysis of the H2 industrial project in Sines covering the entire value chain;
• H2 Collaborative Laboratory.