Dutch Senate approves green hydrogen rules for transport — industry must wait

Dutch Senate approves green hydrogen rules for transport — industry must wait

The Netherlands has taken a decisive step toward green hydrogen in transport. On 31 March 2026, the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) voted to adopt EU RED III rules for the transport sector. For industry, a separate legislative process is still underway.

WHAT WAS DECIDED

With a clear majority, the Senate passed bill 36766, implementing the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) for the transport sector. The law requires the Netherlands to ensure that at least 1% of transport fuels come from renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) — including green hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuels — by 2030.

The House of Representatives had already approved the bill on 2 October 2025, with support from VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks-PvdA and ChristenUnie, among others. In the Senate, FVD, PVV, PvdD, JA21 and BBB voted against.

RFNBO TARGETS FOR TRANSPORT IN 2030

Total: 7.5 petajoules (PJ) of RFNBO

Road transport: 5.6 PJ

Maritime: 1.72 PJ

Aviation: 1.1 PJ (via ReFuelEU)

Inland waterways: 0.22 PJ

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HYDROGEN DRIVERS

For drivers of hydrogen-powered vehicles, this is an encouraging development. The law obliges fuel suppliers to progressively include more green hydrogen and RFNBO fuels in their fuel mix. This stimulates demand for green hydrogen and gives electrolyser projects — which produce green hydrogen — greater certainty about their market.

The government has also raised the so-called 'refinery route' correction factor from 0.4 to 1.0. This route allows existing grey hydrogen in refineries to be gradually replaced by green hydrogen, strengthening the business case for new electrolysis projects.

TRANSPORT ONLY — NOT INDUSTRY

The law applies exclusively to the transport sector. A separate legislative process is in place for industry. The annual RFNBO obligation for industry — which aims to replace 42% of industrial grey hydrogen with green alternatives by 2030 — is expected to take effect on 1 January 2027, with a gradual ramp-up to 4% by 2030.

It should be noted that the Netherlands is already behind the original EU implementation deadline of 21 May 2025. The newly passed law is therefore a catch-up measure, but a necessary one to avoid infringement proceedings and legal uncertainty.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

After royal assent, the law will enter into force. Fuel suppliers will then fall under the so-called Fuel Transition Obligation (Brandstoftransitieverplichting) and must report annually to the Netherlands Emissions Authority (NEa). For H2 drivers, this means the market for green hydrogen has a stronger legal foundation — which over time may contribute to more filling stations and lower prices.