Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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95. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the detailed implementation plan for the national hydrogen strategy will be published; and if he will provide a timeline for the delivery of the 21 actions outlined within the strategy. [18332/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The National Hydrogen Strategy was published in July 2023 and is the first major policy statement on renewable hydrogen and marks an important first step in developing an indigenous hydrogen industry in Ireland.

Hydrogen is a cross-cutting technology which can play a role across a variety of end uses such as transport, power and heating. It also offers industrial opportunities and export potential. It requires an all of government approach to ensure its successful implementation.

The National Hydrogen Programme is being developed to oversee the delivery of the National Hydrogen Strategy actions and wider strategic vision.

A draft integrated programme plan, task force structure and programme office are being developed and engagement with key stakeholders is currently ongoing to finalise and agree roles and responsibilities over the coming weeks. Subject to this agreement, the programme plan is expected to go to cabinet for approval, and subject to approval, the programme office and task force is expected to commence work during 2025.

Once operational, the Task Force will bring to Government, on a yearly basis, their proposed work plan for the year ahead for approval, ultimately providing greater transparency and clarity on priority actions and the status of actions as set out within the strategy.

The 21 actions to be delivered through the National Hydrogen Strategy are planned to be completed by 2030. Action one from the strategy was closed last month with the publication by EirGrid of data sets showing the likely locations, volumes, and load profile of surplus renewable generation on our electricity grid.

Work has commenced on a number of other actions such as action two which is to establish an early hydrogen innovation fund, action eight to carry out a feasibility study to examine export opportunities for hydrogen, action 10 which is examining the existing licensing and regulatory regimes relevant to the geological storage of hydrogen, while action 21 will be complete when the National Hydrogen Programme taskforce is established later this year.

Other actions which have commenced include action 11 which sees Gas Networks Ireland working to prove the technical capabilities of the gas network to transport hydrogen while the Department of Transport are working on action seven to prepare a National Policy Framework for Alternative Fuels Infrastructure.

Most of the actions are multi-year actions and work will continue on them over the next number of years.