On Tuesday 15 April, the European Commission authorised €400 million in Spanish aid to support the production of renewable hydrogen using the European Hydrogen Bank’s Auctions-as-a-Service tool for the auction ending in 2025.
The aid scheme will support the construction of 345 megawatts (MW) of installed electrolyser capacity and the production of 221,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen in Spain. It is estimated that it will result in the avoidance of the equivalent of one million tonnes of CO2 and help Spain to meet its national target of installing 12 gigawatts of electrolysers by 2030, as well as the targets for the share of renewable fuels of non-biological origin consumed in the transport sector and industry (Renewable Energy Directive).
According to the Commission, the scheme is necessary to facilitate the production of renewable hydrogen and, consequently, the decarbonisation of the industrial, transport and/or energy sectors.
The support has an incentive effect and Spain has put in place sufficient safeguards to ensure that the aid has a limited impact on competition and trade in the EU. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)