The Hydrogen Stream: Germany, Austria and Luxembourg launch €2.12 billion program for sustainable aviation fuel

Germany, Austria and Luxembourg have launched a dual-auction mechanism to support the European market ramp-up of renewable electricity-based sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF). The mechanism will bring producers and buyers together, with public subsidies covering the remaining price gap between supply and demand. Germany will provide up to €2 billion ($2.28 billion), while Austria and Luxembourg will each contribute up to €60 million. The supported eSAF volumes are expected to be marketed in the three countries in proportion to their respective funding contributions. The mechanism uses a double-auction model in which eSAF producers compete to offer fuel at the lowest price, while buyers bid for supplies on the demand side. An intermediary concludes longer-term contracts with producers and shorter-term agreements with buyers, with public funding covering the resulting price gap. This is designed to provide producers with the long-term revenue certainty needed to finance new eSAF plants while limiting subsidies through competitive bidding.

Mauritania’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has signed an agreement with CWP Global for the development of the Aman green hydrogen project, establishing the long-term contractual framework for its next phases, as well as its fiscal, economic and development terms. CWP Global Chairman Mark Crandall said the project has reached the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage, with a final investment decision targeted before 2030.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) will provide $20 million in reimbursable grants to support four green hydrogen and low-carbon iron projects in Africa. Egypt’s Ra project will receive $3.55 million, Morocco’s Guelmim Green Hydrogen Valley $5.28 million, Namibia’s Hyphen project $5.93 million, and South Africa’s Saldanha Hydrogen DRI project $5.24 million. The AfDB said the four projects represent an estimated $23 billion in investment and include the equivalent of 20 GW of solar and wind generation capacity, 7 GW of electrolyzer capacity, and 2,950 MWh of battery energy storage capacity.

Ansaldo Green Tech has completed a new production line for anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer stacks at its facility in Genoa, Italy. The company said the line has an annual production capacity of more than 300 MW. Its modular portfolio ranges from a 1 MW containerized system capable of producing about 500 kg of hydrogen per day to multi-megawatt systems for large-scale industrial applications.

Toyota and Iveco have agreed to collaborate under an EU-funded Horizon Europe project to develop zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles. Toyota will supply a 300 kW fuel cell system for Iveco’s new fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), while Iveco will lead vehicle development, integration and validation. The companies said the trucks will have a driving range of more than 900 km, with on-road trials scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027.

Hyster has delivered a hydrogen fuel cell-powered reachstacker to the Port of Tilbury in Essex, England, describing it as the first hydrogen fuel cell container handler to become fully operational in a real-world port application in the United Kingdom. The reachstacker uses a 60 kW fuel cell engine from Nuvera Fuel Cells to generate electricity for a 130 kWh lithium-ion battery. Hyster and Nuvera said they optimized and resized the fuel cell system based on experience from an earlier hydrogen reachstacker pilot at the Port of Valencia in Spain.