European Commission approves €1.4 billion for hydrogen projects

The European Commission has approved €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) for hydrogen projects, investing in 13 initiatives under the fourth Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), to advance hydrogen technology in mobility and transport applications.

Image: Guillaume Périgois, Unsplash

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The European Commission has approved a fourth IPCEI to support research, innovation and industrial deployment in the hydrogen value chain.

The IPCEI Hy2Move project has been jointly prepared by Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Spain. The member states will provide up to €1.4 billion of public funds, approved by the commission under EU state aid rules, with the potential to unlock an additional €3.3 billion in private investments.

The latest IPCEI will see 11 companies with activities in one or more member states, including small- and medium-sized enterprises and startups. They will undertake 13 projects with a specific focus on key objectives and challenges for hydrogen technology in mobility and transport applications.

Hy2Move projects will focus on storage solutions and integrating hydrogen technologies into road, maritime, and aviation applications. They will also develop high-performance fuel cell technologies to generate electricity for ships and locomotives.

The participating companies will cooperate with each other, partner Breuer Technical Development, and more than 200 indirect partners. A completion date for the overall IPCEI has been set by 2031, with timelines varying for individual projects and the companies involved.

“Hydrogen can support us to move around and transport goods with zero emissions. But investing into hydrogen powered mobility and transport technologies can be risky for one member state or one company alone,” said Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president in charge of competition policy. “This is where state aid rules for IPCEI have a role to play. The IPCEI Hy2Move is an example of truly ambitious European cooperation for a key common objective. It also shows how competition policy works hand in hand with breakthrough innovation.”

IPCEI Hy2Move follows three other IPCEIs for the hydrogen value chain. The first, Hy2Tech, was approved by the European Commission in July 2022, followed by Hy2Use in September 2022 and Hy2Infra in February 2024.

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