On Tuesday, 19 December, the European Commission announced that it had authorised a €260 million German State aid scheme to support the production and storage of hydrogen.
This measure will be financed entirely by the ‘Just Transition Fund’.
The scheme will be open to companies operating in the German regions identified under the ‘Just Transition Fund’ so as to provide aid for the construction of “renewable” hydrogen electrolysers and hydrogen storage facilities.
Beneficiaries will receive the aid in the form of direct grants. It will be granted on the basis of a scheme with an estimated capacity volume and budget. Furthermore, the aid intensity will not exceed 45% of the total investment costs, and it will be granted to beneficiaries by 31 December 2025 at the latest.
This scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, which was adopted by the European Commission on 9 March 2023 (see EUROPE 13138/1) and amended on 20 November (see EUROPE 13296/18). (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)