Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
132. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures he is taking with regard to generating energy from hydrogen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27301/26]
View answerGovernment recognises the key role that renewable hydrogen is anticipated to play in our future energy system and as a key component of our zero-carbon economy.
It will be extremely challenging for Ireland to achieve our target of a net zero emissions power system by 2050 without decarbonised gases like renewable hydrogen.
It is a strong contender to displace fossil fuels in dispatchable power generation which is essential for a reliable power system and is especially important during periods of low renewable generation, sometimes known as “dunkelflaute”.
Renewable hydrogen can be produced in Ireland using our abundant wind and solar resources, enhancing security of supply. Hydrogen can also provide further system resilience in the form of long-term inter-seasonal storage of renewable energy.
There are a number of key workstreams underway which will lay the groundwork to enable to the development of the hydrogen sector in Ireland.
The National Hydrogen Programme Taskforce is making good progress on a number of key strands to deliver the actions from the National Hydrogen Strategy, with the current focus on developing the necessary legislative and regulatory frameworks, developing a fund for hydrogen demonstration projects, and further building on key research to develop a solid evidence base for policymaking.
The SEAI’s Decarbonised Electricity System Study (DESS) is developing an evidence-based decarbonisation pathway for a decarbonised electricity system in Ireland by 2050, which includes hydrogen in a decarbonised energy system. The final outputs from the Study will be a significant step in defining the role that renewable hydrogen should play in our power system and these are expected by the end of the year.
