Do you already know Low Carbon Hydrogen?

The whole world is gathered with the goal of decarbonizing the planet by the year 2050. In order to depend less and less on fossil fuels, such as natural gas and oil, and achieve this goal, low-carbon hydrogen plays an essential role.

What is Low Carbon Hydrogen? 

Also called the fuel of the future, low-carbon hydrogen is obtained from any process that does not emit carbon dioxide (CO₂) or that has the capture and storage of this gas, depending on the criteria adopted for certification.

Advantages of Low Carbon Hydrogen

• 100% sustainable: low-carbon hydrogen does not emit polluting gases during combustion and its production process, depending on how it is obtained. In this way, it is a low-emission energy source.

• Versatile: It can be used in a variety of sectors, including transportation, industry, and power generation.

Contribution to the decarbonization of the economy

Because it does not generate polluting and greenhouse gas emissions and is non-toxic, this energy source can strongly contribute to the global energy transition and the decarbonization of different sectors of the economy, such as metallurgical, oil, fuel, among others.

When used as a fuel, for example, low-carbon hydrogen provides a cleaner transportation alternative, and can be used in passenger cars, heavy vehicles, buses, and even aviation.

The molecule can also be used in the production of ammonia, the main raw material for obtaining nitrogen fertilizers, widely used by large companies in the agricultural sector. In this way, a cleaner product with a lower carbon footprint would be produced.

In addition, hydrogen can be used in the production of methanol, present in several industrial products, and can support the reduction of emissions from the transport sector, especially maritime. In the production of the so-called ‘green steel’, low-carbon hydrogen contributes to the elimination of CO₂ emissions in the iron ore reduction stage.

Hydrogen in Brazil

With the electricity matrix based on renewable sources, Brazil is able to become one of the protagonists in the production of low-carbon hydrogen for the domestic market, as well as for export. In August 2024, the Brazilian government approved the legal framework for low-carbon hydrogen, regulating its production, instituting voluntary certification, and defining tax incentives for the sector.

In order to contribute to the development of the Brazilian low-carbon hydrogen market and the electricity sector, in 2022, EDF Renewables and Prumo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study the development and infrastructure of offshore wind farms in the North Fluminense region; the agreement provides for the use of the Port of Açu as a logistics and renewable energy hub, including enabling the production of low-carbon hydrogen in one of the largest port-industry complexes in Latin America.

In the same year, the company signed two MoUs, one with the Government of Rio Grande do Norte and the other with the Government of Ceará. The first aims at the development of offshore wind power generation projects and studies for the potential production of low-carbon hydrogen in Rio Grande do Norte, and the second agreement plans to develop and build a production plant for H2 and derivatives in the Industrial Complex of the Port of Pecém.

In addition, in order to foster discussions on the topic of hydrogen, EDF Renewables has been part of the Brazil-Germany Chamber of Commerce (AHK) since 2022, the Brazilian Hydrogen Association (ABH2) in 2023, and the Brazilian Association of the Green Hydrogen Industry (ABIHV) in 2024.