POLICY Blog: Hydrogen in Latvia’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Strategy – reflections shaped by recent years
Latvia’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Strategy confirms hydrogen as a strategic solution for heavy-duty and long-distance transport, with concrete, AFIR-driven commitments to deploy refuelling stations along TEN-T corridors and in Riga by 2030. Building on lessons from recent years, the approach favours targeted, demand-led scaling—creating credible early markets for hydrogen while laying the groundwork for a future green hydrogen ecosystem.
POLICY
HydrogenLatvia
2/2/20262 min read
Latvia’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Development Strategy (February 2025 | Ministry of Transport of Latvia) marks an important maturation in how hydrogen is positioned within national transport decarbonisation policy. Rather than treating hydrogen as a universal solution, the strategy reflects lessons learned across Europe in recent years: hydrogen is prioritised where it delivers the highest system value—namely in heavy-duty transport, long-distance freight, and strategic TEN-T corridors, where battery-electric solutions face structural limits. This targeted framing aligns closely with the EU’s AFIR regulation and signals a move from conceptual interest toward regulated, demand-backed deployment .
Under AFIR Article 6, Latvia commits to ensuring that by 31 December 2030, the TEN-T core road network is equipped with publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations spaced at no more than 200 km intervals. Each station must provide a minimum cumulative hydrogen capacity of 1 tonne per day and support both 700 bar refuelling for light-duty vehicles and 350 bar refuelling for heavy-duty vehicles. Based on Latvia’s TEN-T network length and traffic intensity analysis, this results in a planned deployment of three hydrogen refuelling stations on the TEN-T core network, complemented by one fully specified hydrogen refuelling station in the Riga urban node.
Crucially, the strategy goes beyond simple station counts. It differentiates hydrogen station capacity and placement according to real traffic demand, particularly freight intensity (GVDI). High-load corridors—most notably sections of the Riga bypass—are identified as priority locations for higher-capacity hydrogen stations (up to 1 t/day), while other TEN-T sections may initially rely on lower-capacity installations (around 0.5 t/day). This approach reflects accumulated insights from earlier EU deployments: oversizing too early undermines economics, while undersizing risks bottlenecks once hydrogen trucks enter operation.
The inclusion of the Riga urban node is strategically significant. By requiring a hydrogen station capable of serving both LDV and HDV segments, the strategy creates a platform for early fleet applications, including city buses, municipal vehicles, port-related logistics, and captive commercial fleets. This urban anchor is likely to be decisive for first movers, as it concentrates demand, simplifies logistics, and lowers utilisation risk during the early market phase.
Overall, the hydrogen chapter of the strategy positions Latvia not as a hydrogen laggard nor an overambitious frontrunner, but as a selective and system-aware adopter, embedding hydrogen into the transport system where it complements electrification and supports long-term climate neutrality goals.
Opportunities for hydrogen sector development in Latvia
Regulatory-backed infrastructure rollout
AFIR obligations create a non-negotiable baseline for hydrogen refuelling deployment, reducing policy uncertainty for investors.Early market creation for HDV hydrogen
Clear focus on trucks and long-haul freight enables alignment with OEM roadmaps and upcoming hydrogen truck availability.Riga as a hydrogen demand hub
The mandated urban node station supports pilot fleets, public transport, ports, and logistics operators, accelerating learning effects.Synergies with green hydrogen production
Transport demand can anchor early electrolysis projects linked to renewable electricity, improving project bankability.Modular scaling pathway
Initial 0.5–1 t/day stations allow phased expansion as vehicle penetration grows, avoiding stranded assets.Integration into Baltic and EU corridors
TEN-T alignment strengthens Latvia’s role in cross-border hydrogen freight corridors connecting the Baltics and wider EU.Platform for hydrogen valleys and clusters
Refuelling infrastructure can act as a nucleus for broader hydrogen ecosystems involving industry, ports, and energy storage.
Strategy link: Download
News source: Valdība izskata Satiksmes ministrijas izstrādāto Latvijas alternatīvo degvielu infrastruktūras attīstības stratēģiju
European Alternative Fuels observatory data for Latvia: European Alternative Fuels Observatory - Latvia