Hydrogen as a fuel: EU Commission approves billions in aid
Projects from three German and eight other EU companies relating to hydrogen and mobility are eligible for state funding.
The German car manufacturer BMW produces its own fuel cells.
(Image: BMW)
Eleven companies from seven EU member states can now count on financial support for their hydrogen projects. The EU Commission has approved 1.4 billion euros in public funding for them to work on various parts of the hydrogen value chain for climate-friendly mobility. The Commission expects that its approval will allow an additional 3.3 billion euros to flow from private investors.
From Germany, the companies Airbus DE and BMW are involved. They are developing hydrogen applications for mobility and transportation, for example platforms for fuel cell buses and trucks, and fuel cell technology to generate enough electricity to power ships or locomotives. There is also hydrogen storage in airplanes.
Also from Germany is the mechanical engineering company Neumann & Esser, which is working on technology for hydrogen production so that hydrogen filling stations can be supplied with compressed hydrogen for fuel cells with a purity level of 99.99 percent. Other companies come from Estonia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain, as well as 200 indirect partners such as universities, SMEs and research institutes.
Important projects
They are working on "Important Projects of Common European Interest" (IPCEI) to promote research, innovation and first commercial use in the hydrogen value chain, according to the EU Commission. The IPCEI Hy2Move project package supports the EU's goal of reducing emissions from mobility and transport by 90 percent to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.
IPCEI Hy2Move complements the first three IPCEIs on the hydrogen value chain. Previously, in July 2022, the EU Commission approved IPCEI Hy2Tech funding for projects that primarily develop hydrogen technologies for end users. This was followed in September 2022 by IPCEI Hy2Use for hydrogen applications in industry and in February of this year by IPCEI Hy2Infra for infrastructure investments that do not fall under the first two project bundles. All three IPCEIs are scheduled for completion in 2031. According to the EU Commission, 3600 jobs will be directly affected by the projects, and many more directly.
(anw)
