The rapid expansion of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production in Europe will require significant volumes of water. A new report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) assesses how this could increase the pressure on European freshwater supply, especially in water-stressed regions such as the Iberian Peninsula.
The JRC report examines the intersection of hydrogen deployment and water sustainability by modelling water demand for fossil-based and electrolytic hydrogen production through 2030 and 2050. The analysis is based on the assumption that the whole demand is fulfilled with freshwater. It concludes that:
- most plants will operate in basins with low to moderate stress;
- only 1 in 10 plants could face noticeable competition with other freshwater uses for agricultural, municipal or industrial consumers under pessimistic climate scenarios;
- overall, Southern Europe faces the highest risk with Spain, Italy and Portugal.
This presents a cautiously optimistic outlook but warns that careful water management strategies should be implemented pre-emptively in water-scarce regions.
A call for water-smart hydrogen planning
The report highlights that while EU water policies, such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the European Water Resilience Strategy, provide a framework for sustainable management, implementation varies widely across EU countries.
The JRC recommends several lines of action:
- Alternative water sources should be prioritised when possible, particularly desalinated seawater in coastal regions. Developing solutions for increased use of wastewater or brackish water could also reduce pressure on freshwater supplies.
- Enhancing water efficiency. The EU’s new 10% water-use efficiency target by 2030 should be integrated into hydrogen project planning.
- The siting of hydrogen production hubs should be assessed against the availability of water supply at basin-level to pre-emptively neglect water conflicts.
Further research is, however, needed.
Proactive planning is a fundamental step
The JRC study concludes that Europe’s hydrogen ambitions are achievable without major water crises, but only with proactive planning.
Key steps include:
- Developing consistent data across different hydrogen production pathways based on real running times and capacity, water abstraction and cooling processes.
- Investing in water reuse infrastructure, particularly in industrial clusters.
- Monitoring seasonal water stress to adjust hydrogen production dynamically.
- Assessing the environmental impact of desalination and direct seawater electrolysis;
- Promoting further research and innovation on sustainable desalination and water use efficiency for hydrogen production
Background
Hydrogen plays a central role in the EU’s decarbonisation agenda, and an update to the EU Hydrogen Strategy is currently being prepared.
The production of hydrogen by electrolysis (using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen) consumes approximately 18–22 litres of water per kg of hydrogen. Although this figure seems modest compared with the water required in agriculture use (e.g., roughly 1 000 litres per kg of almonds), such water demand becomes significant when it is concentrated in industrial hubs that host hydrogen production facilities.
