At the beginning of August, the European Commission approved a Dutch scheme to support the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources, under the CISAF framework encouraging investment in clean technologies, until the end of 2030 (see EUROPE 13667/26).
With an overall budget of €780 million, the scheme will provide direct grants covering up to 80% of initial investment costs, and will then include variable premiums over a five- to 10-year period. Beneficiary companies, which will be chosen through a call for tenders set to launch in the first quarter of 2027, will have to comply with EU standards established in delegated acts from June 2023 governing the production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (see EUROPE 13220/35).
According to the Netherlands, the scheme will allow for the annual production of up to 40 kilotonnes of renewable hydrogen, which should reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions by 324 kilotonnes. The Commission deemed the initiative necessary, appropriate and proportionate in terms of competition within the EU. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)