The European Commission authorised, on Monday 20 December, a €900 million German scheme to support investments in the production of renewable hydrogen, which will then be imported and sold in the EU.
HINT.CO (intermediary) will conclude long-term purchase contracts on the supply side (green hydrogen production) and short-term sales contracts on the demand side (green hydrogen usage). Aid will be awarded through competitive tenders.
Prices will be determined on the buying and selling side via a double auction model, where the lowest bid price for hydrogen production and the highest selling price for hydrogen consumption will each be awarded a contract.
The producers of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia, green methanol, and e-Kerosene wishing to participate in the tenders will have to strictly comply with the sustainability criteria for renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives production, set by the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).
If part of the EU regulatory framework for renewable hydrogen under the Renewable Energy Directive has not yet entered into force at the time of the auctions, the German authorities will define interim criteria to be used in those auctions, on the basis of consultations with the Commission. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)