EU approves EUR6.9 bn state-aid for 33 hydrogen projects
The EU commission has approved EUR6.9 billion in state aid for infrastructure projects to boost the supply of renewable hydrogen, thereby reducing dependency on natural gas . Under Hy2Infra project, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia will allocate the aid for the companies.
The aid provided by the seven countries is expected to unlock an additional EUR5.4 billion in private investments, with 32 companies participating in 33 projects, the commission said.
The projects will support the deployment of 3.2 GW large-scale electrolysers to produce renewable hydrogen, and 2,700 km pipelines to transport it. Germany will have the bulk of the projects with a total of 24.
It will also help the development of large-scale hydrogen storage facilities and the construction of handling terminals and port infrastructure for carriers of liquid hydrogen.
“This will establish the first regional infrastructure clusters in several member states and prepare the ground for future interconnections across Europe, in line with the European Hydrogen Strategy,” European commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
The approval of the aid provided by the countries marks the third so-called ‘important project of common European interest’ aimed at hydrogen.
