Clean Hydrogen Deployment in the Europe-MENA Region from 2030 to 2050

This paper assesses the technical feasibility and socio-economic aspects of the European Union’s (EU) REPowerEU target of producing, importing, and transporting 20 million tonnes (Mt) of clean hydrogen by 2030. Due to their geographical proximity, low-cost hydrogen production potential and existing gas infrastructure, six MENA (‘Middle East and North Africa’) countries are considered key players for realizing the REPowerEU import target: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The central questions addressed by this paper are: What hydrogen production and import volumes are technically feasible in the Europe-MENA region? Can imports from the MENA countries be integrated into the existing European natural gas grid?
How much technical storage capacity is available for hydrogen in the Europe-MENA region? What socio-economic issues must be considered in a strategic analysis of clean hydrogen deployment in the Europe-MENA region?