The second Lisbon Energy Summit brought together policymakers, energy companies, investors and technology providers to discuss how Europe could translate its climate and energy ambitions into deliverable projects.
Under the theme “Creating Tomorrow’s Energy System Today,” the programme covered:
- renewable energy and European energy security;
- renewable hydrogen and its derivatives;
- electricity grids, storage and system flexibility;
- offshore wind and solar energy;
- project financing and climate technologies.
Main lessons
Discussions highlighted the gap between announced hydrogen ambitions and projects reaching investment and construction. A post-event analysis reported that only around 2% of announced European hydrogen projects had reached a final investment decision at that time.
Participants examined several barriers to implementation, including production costs, uncertain demand, infrastructure requirements, regulatory conditions and access to finance. The discussions also underlined Portugal’s potential to combine abundant renewable resources with hydrogen production and industrial decarbonisation.
Hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia were considered particularly relevant for hard-to-abate industries and international energy trade.
Practical value
The summit demonstrated that successful hydrogen projects required more than renewable energy production. They also depended on:
- clearly identified industrial users;
- reliable transport and storage infrastructure;
- coordinated electricity-grid development;
- viable purchasing arrangements;
- appropriate public and private financing.
These lessons remained relevant for regional and national authorities developing integrated hydrogen strategies.