A comparative life-cycle and techno-economic assessment of renewable hydrogen supply chains: Domestic production in Italy and imports from Oman

Renewable hydrogen production through water electrolysis is increasingly recognized as a key technology for decarbonizing energy systems, however, a comprehensive evaluation of production and supply strategy is required. The rationale of this comparison is to evaluate the environmental and economic trade-offs between local hydrogen production in a European context, and hydrogen imports from regions characterized by abundant renewable resources. This study presents the environmental and economic performance of two renewable hydrogen supply chains: importing renewable hydrogen from Oman (Scenario 1) and producing it domestically in Italy (Scenario 2). In Scenario 1, long-distance maritime transport of liquefied hydrogen contributes to additional costs and emissions. However, in both Scenarios, electricity consumption for electrolysis represents the dominant contributor to environmental impacts, accounting for 68% (Scenario 1) and 81% (Scenario 2) of total CO 2 equivalent emissions. Similarly, electrolysis costs represent the largest share of total costs, contributing 53.8% and 74.4% to the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) for Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. These results underline the trade-off between environmental benefits and economic competitiveness in renewable hydrogen supply strategies, while highlighting the central role of renewable electricity sourcing in shaping the carbon footprint and final cost of delivered hydrogen.