On the Use of the Precautionary Principle in the Context of the Hydrogen Systems

The precautionary principle is a decision-making tool commonly applied in the EU to manage high-risk systems. It's also relevant outside the EU, for example related to hydrogen developments in Norway. When it comes to its use and understanding, there exist different definitions and interpretations of the principle. These definitions and interpretations represent significant variations with respect to the extent to which they incorporate specific approaches and prescriptions for how the principle should be operationalized. This paper reviews and compares the EU's definition and interpretation of the precautionary principle with an alternative definition proposed in the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) glossary and applies them to the case of hydrogen systems. The EU has established detailed guidelines on how to apply the precautionary principle. Some of the specific recommendations in these guidelines are challenging to implement in the current hydrogen context due to insufficient information about hydrogen scaling and associated risks. Especially, the EU's definition is vague on how to handle scientific uncertainty. SRA's definition focuses on understanding scientific uncertainties and emphasize the need for action but do not specify the extent of such action. The paper suggests that combining both interpretations of the precautionary principle can better address the risks associated with hydrogen projects in Norway.

Keywords: Energy transition, Hydrogen, Hydrogen scaling, Human error, Precautionary principle, Risk management.