Official start of implementation of 23 IPCEI hydrogen projects in Germany – 4,6 billion euros in funding.
Today, Federal Minister Habeck, together with several state economics ministers, handed over the funding notices for 23 outstanding and pioneering hydrogen projects. Another project can start with an early start to the measures.
The 23 projects belong to the third so-called Hy2Infra wave of the IPCEI Hydrogen (Important Projects of Common European Interest), which was approved by the EU Commission under state aid law on February 15, 2024. Technology and end-user projects are now being decisively supplemented by the production of renewable hydrogen and the development of transport and storage infrastructure. With 30 % co-financing from the participating states, the federal and state governments are jointly providing funding of 4.6 billion euros for this.
Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection:
The energy transition remains one of the greatest challenges for our country, even in the face of further crises and conflicts.
“By promoting hydrogen projects, we are taking an important step towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy in Europe and beyond. We are giving the green light for the construction of electrolyzers in the three-digit megawatt class, thus enabling important progress in the domestic production of green hydrogen. An efficient hydrogen infrastructure plays a key role in enabling the decarbonization of industry and the energy sector. Hydrogen pipelines will be the lifeblood of industrial centers. In doing so, we are creating the conditions for climate-neutral growth.
The funded projects cover the entire hydrogen value chain:
- The production of green hydrogen by electrolysers with up to 1.4 GW of hydrogen production capacity powered by renewable energy.
- Innovative storage solutions for hydrogen, for efficient and safe storage of up to 370 GWh .
- Pipeline infrastructure of up to 2000 km in length to ensure the transport and availability of hydrogen.
- The use of liquid organic hydrogen carriers (so-called “LOHC”) for the transport of around 1,800 tonnes of hydrogen per year.
A particular focus is on the interaction of individual projects. Several projects are forming cross-state clusters of pipeline, storage and generation infrastructure with connections to industrial customers in energy-intensive sectors such as the steel and chemical industries. Other projects are intended to enable pipeline-based hydrogen imports to Germany in the future by connecting pipelines from neighboring countries (such as the Netherlands). The IPCEI pipeline projects are also an important building block for the hydrogen core network, which will enable the rapid and cost-efficient development of the hydrogen transport network in Germany by 2032.
Part of the funding of EUR 4.6 billion is supported by the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP), which is financed from funds from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility. The companies themselves are investing an additional EUR 3.3 billion. Including funding from the federal and state governments, the total investment volume by 2030 will therefore be around EUR 7.9 billion. With the IPCEI -Hy2Infra-Wave, the federal government is underlining its commitment to a sustainable and climate-friendly restructuring of the energy supply. The funding of the IPCEI -Hy2Infra-Wave projects is part of the National Hydrogen Strategy, which was updated by the federal government in 2023. In addition, an import strategy for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives is to be adopted soon. This is intended to provide orientation and clarity about the overarching goals and framework conditions, the German import demand for hydrogen and derivatives, and the establishment of hydrogen partnerships and import corridors.
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Official start of implementation of 23 IPCEI hydrogen projects in Germany – 4,6 billion euros in funding. source
