# An Overview of Hydrogen's Application for Energy Purposes in Lithuania
## 6 Current Situation and Prospects of Hydrogen Use in Lithuania
The results of this initiative will be implemented in Lithuania's National Energy and Climate Action Plan (NECP) [61]. The NEIS (National Energy Independence Strategy) has led to cooperation on the development of the first pilot green hydrogen project in Lithuania and announcement of plans to integrate large-scale renewable energy capacity, including onshore and offshore wind and solar energy, into Lithuania's energy system. The structure of this project is capable of covering the complete value chain of H\({}_{2}\) from production in electrolysers to distribution using gaseous hydrogen delivery using trucks, storage and end use in order to decarbonize a geographical area (Lithuania), provide energy flexibility and improve Lithuanian system resilience through the use of green hydrogen by blending it into country's national natural gas grid. An example of green hydrogen application in the transport sector in Lithuania is a planned project by one of Lithuania's public transport companies. It plans to acquire 16 hydrogen-fuelled buses and build 3 MW electrolysers with a hydrogen filling station by 2026. Moreover, various scientists from the Lithuanian Energy Institute have initiated a few hydrogen-related projects in Lithuania as part of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership initiative [62]. One of the key tools for exploiting the potential of green hydrogen in local economies and export markets is the creation of green hydrogen valleys, aimed at the development of production capacities, integration of projects in the industrial, transport and energy sectors, the production of components of the green hydrogen value chain (e.g., electrolysers), creation of a favourable investment climate and exploitation of the country's geographical situation and interconnections. It has been estimated that two green hydrogen valleys could be established in Lithuania. The first of these could be close to the Baltic Sea (or offshore), which would exploit the enormous potential of offshore wind power generation, as well as the offshore wind development potential of neighbouring countries. At the same time, it would aim to integrate the potential of the region's industry and the Klaipeda State Seaport, creating a favourable investment environment for the production and export of new green hydrogen products. Another valley could be established in one of the energy infrastructure facilities. It would be designed to exploit the potential of green hydrogen and its products for flexible electricity generation. Strong electricity interconnections would allow the use of the country's surplus electricity and renewable energy peaks for hydrogen production, while existing natural gas networks could be adapted to transport surplus hydrogen. According to [63], the peak consumption of electricity in Lithuania is predicted to reach 13.7 TWh by 2030 (1.9% annual rise on average). Local electricity production is set to increase to 7 TWh in 2030, of which 45% will be produced from renewable sources like wind energy (53% or 3.71 TWh) and solar energy (22% or 1.54 TWh) [56; 57; 58]. This would fully cover the expected amount of renewable electricity needed for water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen: 20,000 tonnes of hydrogen or 1 TWh of electricity prediction is given in [49] and 1.74 TWh is stated in the guidelines for the development of the hydrogen sector [23]. Moreover, Lithuania's electricity production in 2050 is set to increase to 18 TWh, which will consist of 100% renewable energy. A feasibility study [49] predicts that 6.3-16 TWh of electricity will be required for green hydrogen production alone (225,000 t of hydrogen in various forms). The guidelines [64] foresee that the required amount of electricity for green hydrogen may be even bigger and may reach up to 30.65 TWh, with the largest demand coming from fertilisers and the heavy transport sector (Figure 2). By 2045, all electricity is expected to be generated from renewable energy in Lithuania. This creates incentives and opportunities to prioritiise the production of green hydrogen.