On Monday 3 April, the European Commission authorised a €450 million Italian aid scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen to help the transition to a net-zero economy, in line with the ‘European Green Deal’ industrial plan.
The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023.
The measure, financed under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), will be open to companies of all sizes operating in Italy, with the exception of credit and other financial institutions. Under this scheme, projects will be selected through an open competitive bidding process. The public support will take the form of direct grants covering investment costs. The maximum amount of aid per project is €20 million.
The Commission found that the Italian scheme complied with the conditions set out in the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework. In particular, the aid will be granted on the basis of a scheme with an estimated volume and budget and the amount of aid will be determined following an open and transparent bidding process. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)