Poland cleared to launch EU’s first hydrogen grid operator

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland has received a green light from the European Union to launch the bloc’s first hydrogen transmission network operator, paving the way for investment in infrastructure for the clean fuel.

On Wednesday, the Polish energy ministry and Gaz-System, Poland’s state gas transmission operator, announced that the European Commission has approved the certification of Gaz-System to also operate as a hydrogen transmission network operator.

Hydrogen is seen as an important element of the green transition, offering a clean, flexible and scalable way to cut emissions in sectors, such as transport and industry, that are difficult to decarbonise using electricity alone.

Polish energy minister Miłosz Motyka described the decision as a breakthrough for the country’s energy market, saying it offers “a concrete tool that will help accelerate investment in this area and strengthen the competitiveness of the Polish economy”.

His ministry noted that Gaz-System is the first company in Europe to go through the certification procedure, placing “Poland at the forefront of change” and making it “one of the leaders of the energy transition in Europe”.

Poland remains one of the most emissions-intensive economies in the EU relative to its size, relying heavily on coal for electricity and having one of the bloc’s lowest shares of electric vehicles.

However, state energy giant Orlen has been gradually shifting its focus away from oil and towards greener alternatives. In 2024, it opened its first publicly available hydrogen refuelling station for cars and buses. In February this year, it opened its fifth such facility.

Last year, Orlen secured 1.7 billion zloty (€400 million) in EU funds to expand its hydrogen projects. The company aims to build capacity to produce 0.9 gigawatts of hydrogen by 2035, most of it in Poland.

While hydrogen cars are still rare due to limited infrastructure, several Polish cities, including Poznań, Gdańsk and Płock, have already introduced fleets of hydrogen-fuelled buses.

By the end of this decade, Orlen aims to have 111 hydrogen refuelling stations operating in Poland (57), the Czech Republic (28) and Slovakia (26), making it the regional leader in hydrogen infrastructure.

Gaz-System does not yet own a hydrogen transmission network, but the company noted in a statement that the European Commission does not see it as an obstacle to granting it certification, given the current stage of the hydrogen market’s development.

The certification confirms compliance with EU rules requiring the separation of transmission system operators from energy production and sales activities, in line with a positive assessment issued last month by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER).

The next steps include Gaz-System submitting a ten-year network development plan and securing a final decision from Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office (URE).

The firm also says that it hopes its certification will “enable future operators to plan, finance and build hydrogen networks, which is crucial for the rapid growth of this sector in Europe”.

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Orlen press materials

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She has written for Clean Energy Wire and The Times, and she hosts her own podcast, The Warsaw Wire, on Poland’s economy and energy sector. She previously worked for Reuters.