BMVI and BMWi Launch 62 Hydrogen Major Projects

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure have selected 62 hydrogen major projects this week, which are to be funded by the state as part of a joint European hydrogen project (so-called Important Project of Common European Interest, IPCEI). This implements an important measure of the National Hydrogen Strategy.

The 8 billion euros in state funding consist of federal and state funds. About 4.4 billion euros come from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; up to 1.4 billion euros from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The remaining funding will be provided by the federal states. In total, investments of 33 billion euros are to be triggered, of which over 20 billion euros will come from private investors. The 62 hydrogen major projects were selected from over 230 submitted project outlines and represent the entire value chain of the hydrogen market.

Hydrogen Pipelines of 1,700 km Length

In the area of the BMWi, 50 project outlines were selected. These include project outlines for production facilities that together encompass over 2 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity for the production of green hydrogen. This corresponds to 40% of the target set in the National Hydrogen Strategy of 5 gigawatts by 2030. Furthermore, we are considering the infrastructure from the beginning and want to advance hydrogen pipelines with a length of around 1,700 km. Particularly significant emissions can be saved in the CO₂-intensive steel industry. With ArcelorMittal, Stahl Holding Saar, Salzgitter Stahl, and Thyssenkrupp Steel, all steel producers operating in Germany have submitted investment projects. A number of innovative projects from the chemical industry, such as those from BASF at the Ludwigshafen site, also demonstrate enormous reduction potentials through the CO₂-free production of hydrogen and its further use, e.g., for the production of ammonia or synthetic fuels for heavy-duty or air traffic.

Funding for 12 Projects in the Mobility Sector

The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure is funding 12 projects in the mobility sector. These concern the development and production of fuel cell systems and vehicles – from passenger cars to trucks to municipal vehicles. Additionally, for example, the establishment of a nationwide and cross-border hydrogen refueling infrastructure is to be promoted. A Hamburg joint project also addresses aviation and the maritime sector with a holistic approach: from fuel cell vehicles for port logistics or H2 push boats in the Hamburg port to H2 vehicles starting for intralogistics at Airbus. With such integrated real laboratories that are created on-site, fuel cell technology is further advanced and put into use. The funding of the German projects takes place within the framework of a European project (IPCEI Hydrogen) together with up to 22 European partner countries. The various national projects are to be interconnected so that all countries can benefit from each other and jointly build a European hydrogen economy. The kick-off for this initiative was given by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Altmaier in December 2020 as part of the German EU Council Presidency. The goal is that the projects can be approved by the European Commission under state aid law by the end of this year. BMWi and BMVI are working closely and trustfully with the European Commission on this.

Statements:

Federal Minister of Transport Scheuer: “We are making Germany a hydrogen country. In doing so, we are rethinking mobility in a European and holistic way – from the energy system to the drive technologies to the refueling infrastructure. Currently, transport is still more than 95 percent dependent on fossil energy sources. Therefore, we urgently need mobility that relies on renewable energies. Green hydrogen and fuel cells are – across all modes of transport – a great complement to pure battery vehicles. The fact is: We must and want to urgently advance the transition to climate-friendly mobility. To cover all areas of mobility with zero-emission solutions, we need technological openness. That is why we also support fuel cell technology as well as vehicle and component manufacturers to ensure we do not miss out internationally. Today, we are taking a giant step towards climate-friendly mobility.” Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Altmaier: “We want to become number 1 in the world in hydrogen technologies. To do this, we are pooling our strengths in Europe and initiating massive investments in the future technology of hydrogen through the first joint European hydrogen project. This secures competitiveness and jobs – in Germany as well as in Europe. We are providing over 8 billion euros in federal and state funds for the 62 German projects selected today and represent the entire value chain with the selected projects – from hydrogen production to transport to applications in industry. We are making a significant step towards the climate neutrality of our economy. A central area for this is the steel industry as well as the chemical industry, where several million tons of CO₂ can be saved annually through these hydrogen projects.” An overview of the projects and their distribution across the federal territory:www.bmvi.de/ipcei-standortkarte Photo: © BMVI