CertifHy has appointed Vinçotte, TÜD Rheinland and TÜD SÜD to conduct audits of hydrogen producers looking to sell their hydrogen as renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) in the EU.
Matthieu Boisson, Managing Director at CertifHy, the industrial-backed verification programme, claimed the three certification bodies will help ensure the “integrity and transparency of sustainable hydrogen production.”
From 2030, RFNBO rules will require green hydrogen producers to use electricity from newly built renewable sources, located in the same grid zone and matched on an hourly basis. Only hydrogen that meets these criteria can qualify for EU subsidies or favourable regulatory treatment.
Belgium’s Vinçotte and TÜD Rheinland and TÜD SÜD from Germany will audit hydrogen producers to confirm their hydrogen is made using new, local renewable electricity matched hourly, and confirm that it meets EU rules on additionality, timing, location and carbon accounting.
Only audits conducted to ISO 17065 and ISO 14065 standards by these certification bodies will result in a valid CertifHy EU RFNBO Scheme certificate.
“CertifHy is committed to empowering auditors with the resources and expertise they need to navigate the evolving landscape of hydrogen and e-fuels certification,” explained Pierre Krenn, Scheme Manager at CertifHy.
“We work closely with certification bodies to streamline processes, mitigate risks, and ensure audits that are fair, efficient and provide insightful feedback.”
However, members of the hydrogen industry have had mixed responses to RFNBO rules in Europe. The European Commission is planning to assess the hydrogen framework in response to industry concerns.
Hydrogen Europe warned that the RFNBO rules make renewable hydrogen uncompetitive due to strict hourly matching, additionality and grid correlation requirements, potentially jeopardising the sector’s ability to scale.
Speaking to H2 View, Oxccu Founder and CEO Andrew Symes warned that RFNBO rules could hinder the development of hydrogen-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), due to the cost of compliant green hydrogen.
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