EU Commission approves up to €1.4 billion of state aid for hydrogen projects

The project contributes to the EU's target of 90% reduction of emissions from the mobility and transport sectors, in order for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050. By fostering the use of hydrogen as a fuel, it will also help achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal, the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.

The project, called ‘IPCEI Hy2Move', was jointly prepared and notified by seven Member States: Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain.

The Member States will provide up to €1.4 billion in public funding, which is expected to unlock additional €3.3 billion in private investments. As part of this IPCEI, 11 companies with activities in one or more Member States, including small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs') and start-ups, will undertake 13 innovative projects.

IPCEI Hy2Move will cover a wide part of the hydrogen technology value chain, by supporting the development of a set of technological innovations, including:

• The development of mobility and transport applications to integrate hydrogen technologies in transport means (road, maritime and aviation). This includes, for example, fuel cell vehicle platforms for use in buses and trucks.
• The development of high-performance fuel cell technologies, which use hydrogen to generate electricity with sufficient power to move ships and locomotives.
• The development of next generation on-board storage solutions for hydrogen. For the use in aircraft, lightweight, yet robust hydrogen tanks are necessary ensuring safety and efficiency in flight conditions. The development of technologies to produce hydrogen for mobility and transport applications, in particular for supplying hydrogen refuelling stations on-site with pressurised, 99.99% pure fuel-cell-grade hydrogen.

IPCEI Hy2Move complements the first three IPCEIs on the hydrogen value chain. The Commission approved IPCEI ‘Hy2Tech' on 15 July 2022, which focuses on the development of hydrogen technologies for end users. IPCEI ‘Hy2Use' was approved on 21 September 2022 and focuses on hydrogen applications in the industrial sector. IPCEI ‘Hy2Infra', approved by the Commission on 15 February 2024, concerns infrastructure investments, which are not covered by the first two IPCEIs. Hy2Move focuses exclusively on specific challenges and objectives that arise for hydrogen technology in mobility and transport applications.

The completion of the overall IPCEI is expected by 2031, with timelines varying in function of the individual projects and the companies involved. Around 3600 direct jobs are expected to be created, and many more indirect ones.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/29052024/eu-commission-approves-up-to-14-billion-of-state-aid-for-hydrogen-projects/