De wetterstofynfrastruktuer dy't noch net bestiet
September 24, 2025 · Frisian News
Europe plans a hydrogen economy but lacks the pipelines, storage, and production plants needed to make it work. Governments spend billions on promises while the practical groundwork remains incomplete.
FryskIn wetterstofpiiplieding ferbynt Dútslân mei Frankryk, mar fiert noch gjin wetterstof. De 380 kilometer lange lieding stiet leech en wachtet op produksje-ynstallaasjes dy't oan beide kanten net besteane. Dit gearfettet it Europeeske wetterstofferhaal: ambysjeuze doelen, miljarden yn subsydzjes, nul funksjonele ynfrastruktuer. Regearingen prate oer 2030-skema's as soene de natuerwetten oan politike skema's bûge.
De berekkening falt min út. Om ierdgas troch wetterstof te ferfangen, hat Europa 30.000 kilometer nij liedingwurk nedich. Yndustrjegroepen stelle dat mar 3.000 kilometer hjoed bestiet, en it measte dêrfan binne proefprojekten, gjin wurkjend systeem foar oanfier. Opslach ûntbrekt hast hielendal. In wetterstofekomy easket grutte ûndergrûnske reserves foar balâns tusken de seizoenen, mar Europa hat hast neat boud. De pear sâlthollen dy't geskikt binne foar opslach, lizze fier fuort fan yndustrjesintra dy't it brânstof nedich hawwe.
Produksje stuit op it swierste probleem. Griene wetterstof easket goedkeape elektrisiteit en elektrolysers op yndustriële skaal. It Europeeske elektrisiteitsnet kin dat net betrouber leverje, en elektrolysers kostje trije kear wat yngenieurs oer fiif jier ferwachtsje. Griize wetterstof, makke fan ierdgas, ferslacht it hiele klimaatdoel. Blauwe wetterstof mei CO2-opfang bestiet allinne yn teory. Underwilens ferkeapje oaljebedriuwen âlde wetterstofproduksje as rêding, op 'e nij ynpakt yn persberjochten en regearingsrapporten.
Regearingen pompe dochs jild yn de fantasy. De wetterstofbank fan de EU biedt miljarden oan kontrakten foar takomstich wetterstof dat leveransiers noch net produsearje kinne. Grut-Brittanje finansiearret elektrolysers dy't sûnder goedkeape stroom leech stean sille. Dútslân praat fan wetterstoftrucks en ferwaarming, wylst gjin kommersjeel wetterstoftanknet foar weinen bestiet, en ferwaarming mei wetterstof hat thermyske sin allinne yn seldsume gefallen. It jild rint nei adviseurs, ûntwerpburo's en politike fotomomenten.
Underwilens hâldt Dútslân syn koalsintrales oan it draaien omdat wyn en sinne by nacht mislearje. Frankryk brûkt kearnenergie. Beide hawwe hjoed dispatchable stroom nedich, gjin wetterstofdromen foar 2035. De ynfrastruktuer sil net ferskine om't jild en praatsjes it net rap genôch bouwe kinne. Europa bliuwt jierren lang dwaan as of in wetterstofekomy bestiet, wylst de buizen leech bliuwe.
A hydrogen pipeline connects Germany to France, but it carries no hydrogen yet. The 380-kilometer line stands empty, waiting for production plants that do not exist on either end. This sums up the European hydrogen story: ambitious targets, billions in subsidies, zero functional infrastructure. Governments talk about 2030 timelines as if the physics will bend to political schedules.
The math works poorly. To replace natural gas with hydrogen, Europe needs 30,000 kilometers of new pipe. Industry groups claim only 3,000 kilometers exist today, and most of that is pilot projects, not working supply chains. Storage remains almost nonexistent. A hydrogen economy demands vast underground reserves to balance seasonal demand, yet Europe has built almost none. The few salt caverns suitable for storage sit far from industrial centers that need the fuel.
Production faces the hardest problem. Green hydrogen requires cheap electricity and electrolyzers at industrial scale. Europe's power grid cannot supply that reliably, and electrolyzers cost three times what engineers expect them to cost in five years. Gray hydrogen, made from natural gas, defeats the whole climate purpose. Blue hydrogen with carbon capture exists only in theory. Meanwhile, oil companies sell old hydrogen production as salvation, repackaged in press releases and government reports.
Governments pump money into the fantasy anyway. The EU's hydrogen bank offers billions in contracts for future hydrogen that suppliers cannot yet produce. Britain funds electrolyzers that will sit idle without cheap power. Germany speaks of hydrogen trucks and heating, though no commercial hydrogen refueling network exists for vehicles, and heating with hydrogen makes thermal sense only in rare cases. The money flows to consultants, design firms, and political photo opportunities.
Meanwhile, Germany keeps its coal plants running because wind and sun fail at night. France uses nuclear. Both need dispatchable power today, not hydrogen dreams for 2035. The infrastructure will not appear because money and talk cannot build it fast enough. Europe faces years of pretending a hydrogen economy exists while the pipes stay empty.
Published September 24, 2025 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân