On Wednesday 18 December, the European Commission authorised €3 billion of German-Dutch support for the production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin, including renewable hydrogen, worldwide.
These fuels will be imported and sold in the EU, contributing to the objectives of the EU Hydrogen Strategy, the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan.
Germany will contribute €2.7 billion and the Netherlands €300 million.
The aim is to build at least 1.875 GW of electrolysis capacity worldwide. The aid will be granted through a tendering procedure that should be completed in 2025. The calls for tender will be open to projects with an electrolyser capacity of at least 5 MW. The scheme is based on a double auction system, bringing together producers of renewable fuels of non-biological origin, most of which will be established in third countries, and buyers of these fuels in Germany and the Netherlands. The Commission considered that the aid took account of the experience of the previous German aid scheme ‘H2Global’, which was authorised at the end of 2021. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)