Green hydrogen has been produced for the first time in the 30 MW electrolysis plant at the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park in central Germany. The commissioning phase of the overall facility has begun.

After a long political lead-up and a fresh start, the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) finally awarded the first contracts for dispatchable long-term capacity on November 3. Such capacity will be necessary to complement the electricity supply from fluctuating renewable sources in Germany.

The Japanese chemical company Asahi Kasei and the U.S. company Power to Hydrogen aim to jointly advance the commercialization of electrolyzers with anion exchange membrane. The joint memorandum of understanding concerns the production and market launch of the technology.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has signed the funding contracts with three Danish hydrogen projects. The lowest funding amount is 0.98 cents per kilogram of green hydrogen. In total, 1.17 billion euros are being provided via the European Hydrogen Bank. For the cross-border pipeline, 500 MW of capacity have now been booked.

EWE has passed a tightness test on a former natural gas cavern converted for hydrogen storage at its Huntorf site in the Wesermarsch district in Northwest-Germany – first with nitrogen, then with hydrogen. From 2028, the cavern is expected to store around 16 million standard cubic metres of hydrogen.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has decided on ten measures to accelerate the sluggish ramp-up of the hydrogen market in Germany. Among them are a new CCfD window with 1.5 billion euros – and a lead market for low-emission steel.

The eFuel Alliance has presented a position paper that classifies electricity-based fuels as a security-relevant factor for Europe. The association calls for practical production rules, binding sub-quotas, and the crediting of investments towards the NATO spending target.

French hydrogen producer Lhyfe generated €4.7 million in revenue in the first half of 2026. Industrial gases company Messer is acquiring a 30 percent stake in four production sites. Revenue in Germany more than doubled.
 

A research consortium led by the University of Hohenheim and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) is looking to upgrade existing biogas plants into flexible facilities for biohydrogen production and negative CO₂ emissions. At the heart of the BioFleCCS project is a methane steam reforming process coupled with CO₂ capture.
 

Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) has received funding approvals totaling 29.5 million euros for its Green Mobility Depot in Bergisch Gladbach. The project includes a hydrogen refueling station with its own electrolyser. The hydrogen unit is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

The municipality of Bosbüll in North Frisia is expanding its district heating network. In the future, process heat from local hydrogen production will also be fed into the system. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2025.

Hyster delivers the United Kingdom's first fuel cell reachstacker to the Port of Tilbury. In port logistics, battery-electric drives reach their limits, as the vehicles are in operation around the clock and must move heavy loads.

The new joint venture Quantron China aims to develop locally emission-free commercial vehicles for the Chinese market—and beyond. Behind it are the business unit Quantron of the Germany-rooted Haller Group, the young Chinese technology company HyperView from the automotive sector, and Foxconn as a manufacturing partner.

The RH2INE initiative has received an initial approval from Lloyd's Register for the standardized design of interchangeable hydrogen containers. This brings a mobile hydrogen infrastructure for emission-free inland shipping along the Rhine corridor closer.

Numerous European associations from the energy, hydrogen, and industrial sectors are urging the EU Commission to quickly revise the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1184. The ongoing uncertainty about the production criteria for renewable hydrogen endangers investments along the entire value chain.