Gas Distributors for Sustainability (GD4S) and a consortium of other European organisations are urging the European Commission in a joint statement to make the Grids Package a robust tool to strengthen the continent’s security by promoting a forward-looking, integrated hydrogen infrastructure strategy that will enable us to meet our common climate, industrial, and security goals.
The Council Presidency adopted on Monday 16 June its conclusions on energy security, system planning and resilience, followed a day later by the Commission’s proposal for a regulation on the ban on Russian gas imports, seen as a first formal step towards ending energy relations with Russia. The Commission is currently preparing its Grids Package and consulting stakeholders on it with the aim of presenting the proposal by the end of 2025. This package will be crucial for the future of the EU energy grids, which will in turn contribute to the overall security of supply of the European Continent.
Frédéric Dykmans, Secretary General of GD4S said: Securing Europe’s energy future requires more than ambition—it demands robust infrastructure. A comprehensive Hydrogen Grid Strategy must be central to this effort, enabling the development of a pan-European hydrogen network, including distribution. This backbone will strengthen energy resilience, enhance market integration, and ensure hydrogen reaches consumers efficiently and reliably. As ministers underline the urgency of supply security, we urge policymakers to place hydrogen infrastructure at the core of Europe’s energy transition.
Hydrogen infrastructure is a strategic enabler to the deployment of a flexible, secure, more integrated and thus more resilient energy system. While the electricity grid inherently lacks large-scale storage and temporal flexibility, hydrogen provides capabilities that electrons alone cannot: long-duration storage, sector coupling, and system balancing across time and geography. It complements electricity networks, helps integrate renewables, connects supply and demand across regions and sectors, and strengthens both flexibility and Europe’s energy supply.
Investments in hydrogen infrastructure, including repurposed pipelines, storage, and terminals, are also cost-effective. Compared to the €1.2 trillion in electricity grid needs by 2040, the EU27 would need only €170 billion for hydrogen transport infrastructure (or €400 billion including electrolysers and terminals).
GD4S and other stakeholders call on the European Commission and Member States to ensure that the Grids Package includes:
- A top-down Hydrogen Grid Strategy aligned with EU decarbonisation targets and realistic demand scenarios.
- Faster permitting and full application of Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA)permitting provisions to hydrogen infrastructure.
- Stronger financial tools and a fit for purpose Clean Industrial Deal State aid Framework (CISAF) to reflect the strategic value of hydrogen infrastructure.
With the Presidency highlighting the need for future-proof and integrated infrastructure planning, the time to act is now. A clear strategy for hydrogen infrastructure must be part of Europe’s energy future.
Joint statement:
Press Release