Clean Hydrogen for Poland’s Decarbonisation

The document argues that Poland, as Europe's third largest hydrogen producer, must transition from carbon-intensive production to a clean hydrogen economy to decarbonise its industrial and transportation sectors. It recommends prioritising 'no regrets' sectors, adopting a technology-neutral production approach, and carefully planning imports via pipelines or ammonia to manage limited domestic resources.

• Poland is currently the third largest producer of hydrogen in Europe, but production is almost exclusively based on carbon-intensive, unabated steam reforming of natural gas.
• Hydrogen demand in Poland is projected to potentially exceed 3 million tonnes, or 100 TWh, by the year 2040.
• Clean hydrogen should be prioritised for 'no regrets' sectors—hard-to-abate industries where carbon-intensive hydrogen is already used and other decarbonisation options are not feasible—rather than being deployed indiscriminately.
• In the transportation sector, clean hydrogen is most needed for maritime shipping, aviation, and potentially heavy-duty road transport, while light-duty passenger cars should prioritise electrification.
• A technology-optionality approach to production is recommended to ensure supply, noting that SMR/ATR with carbon capture can be scaled more quickly than electrolysis because the technology is more mature and energy sources are more available.
• For hydrogen imports, the most cost-effective and energy-efficient methods are pipelines from nearby regions or the maritime transport of clean ammonia, which is cheaper and more stable than liquefied hydrogen or liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC).

APA

Carr, A., Lagurashvili, T., Albares, S., & Martin, M. (2024). Clean Hydrogen for Poland’s Decarbonisation. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-hydrogen-for-polands-decarbonisation/

Chicago

Carr, Alex, Tamara Lagurashvili, Sara Albares, and Marilen Martin. Clean Hydrogen for Poland’s Decarbonisation. Clean Air Task Force, 2024. https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-hydrogen-for-polands-decarbonisation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Carr |first1=Alex |last2=Lagurashvili |first2=Tamara |last3=Albares |first3=Sara |last4=Martin |first4=Marilen |title=Clean Hydrogen for Poland’s Decarbonisation |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=10 April 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-hydrogen-for-polands-decarbonisation/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carr2024clean, author = {Carr, Alex and Lagurashvili, Tamara and Albares, Sara and Martin, Marilen}, title = {{Clean Hydrogen for Poland’s Decarbonisation}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-hydrogen-for-polands-decarbonisation/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }