Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport measures being taken to roll-out refuelling stations for hydrogen vehicles nationally outside of Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21550/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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My Department continues to assess a range of potential decarbonisation pathways for the Irish transport sector. In support of this, it has recently established an inter-Departmental Alternative Fuels Working Group, to coordinate action by stakeholders with policy responsibility for alternative fuels in transport (encompassing zero-emissions energy and fuel, such as hydrogen, as well as renewable fuels and low carbon fuels), and associated infrastructure and vehicle technology, aligning with relevant national policy for future production of alternative fuels.

The Department also recently published an issues paper and call for submissions to inform the development of an updated National Policy Framework for alternative fuels infrastructure, available at: www.gov.ie/en/consultation/441f2-update-of-the-national-policy-framework-for-alternative-fuels-infrastructure-for-transport/ . This follows the recent adoption of the European Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in transport (AFIR), which came into full application across all EU Member States from 13 April 2024.

Article 6 of that Regulation sets out targets for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure of road vehicles, including the requirement for Member States to ensure that, by 31st December 2030, publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations - designed for a minimum cumulative capacity of 1 tonne per day and equipped with at least a 700 bar dispenser - are deployed with a maximum distance of 200km between them along the TEN-T core network, and that at least one publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling station is deployed in each urban node.

Key questions posed in the National Policy Framework for alternative fuels infrastructure issues paper include those seeking the views of wider transport and energy sector stakeholders on the demand and requirements for alternative fuelling infrastructure nationally, including hydrogen refuelling stations, and seeking to identify what supporting measures should be established to meet the required infrastructural targets mandated under AFIR.

Submissions received on foot of the public consultation will inform the preparation of an updated National Policy Framework on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure for Transport, in line with both AFIR and the significant evolution in national policy since the previous NPF was published in 2017. I intend to publish an updated draft policy framework for further consultation in the second half of 2024, with final policy frameworks required to be submitted to the EU Commission by 31 December 2025.

In parallel with this, the Department, through the Shared Island Initiative and in cooperation with the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, has also undertaken two research studies relating to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure on an all-island basis.

The Phase 1 study explored safety regulatory frameworks applying to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure on both sides of the border, highlighting commonalities and emphasizing the importance of interoperability and the need to avoid regulatory divergence, while the Phase 2 study has examined the feasibility of a green hydrogen refuelling corridor between Dublin and Belfast and is expected to conclude in the coming months. It is intended that the final report and recommendations of this study will be published upon completion of the consultation on the National Policy Framework consultation and in line with the development of the updated Framework.

It is important to note, however, that while Government has committed significant funding to support low emitting vehicles through the National Development Plan, which currently includes an allocation of almost €500 million for the period 2021-2025 and additional support from the Climate Action Fund, it is direct electrification that remains the priority decarbonisation technology for the majority of land transport end users, with hydrogen considered to hold greater potential in the harder-to-abate freight and haulage sectors.