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Politics and Law

Politics

© Office of Governor Grisham
Interview with Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of the US state of New Mexico

The cleaner, the more support

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The US is investing a lot of money in renewable energies and also in hydrogen. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Biden administration has released large sums of money to promote sustainable technologies. Even if at least some of this is likely to be reversed under a new Trump administration, a number of states have embarked on this path and - like New Mexico - are focusing on hydrogen. HZwei spoke to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham about this in Rotterdam in the summer of 2024.

© Nadja Wohlleben
Industry criticizes current H2 funding policies

No decision is also a decision

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“Two years ago, we were still discussing an ‘All Electric World’ in Berlin. Now it's clear we need both – molecules and electrons.” With these words, the state of Niedersachen’s economy minister Olaf Lies summarized well at this year’s Hannover Messe where we stand today. At the political level, however, this seems to not have been reached by everyone. Otherwise, the quasi funding freeze for H2 activities at present can hardly be explained. Reason enough for the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) to send a pleading letter to Berlin (see p. 33) – and trigger for a palpable dispute among economic experts.

© BMDV

Wissing signs Berlin declaration

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E-fuels – irrespective of their disputed suitability for the car sector – will be essential for the decarbonization of the transport sector. Hence German transportation minister Volker Wissing is continuing with his campaign to ramp up e-fuels. On June 4, 2024, he underlined his approach by hosting...

Standardization and Certification

Funding

© BBH
Market accessibility problems for German applicants

Shifts in Europe’s H2 funding environment

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When the European Hydrogen Bank’s first pilot auction (Innovation Fund Auction IF23) was announced on Sept. 5, 2023, it drew much attention. April 30, 2024, then saw the publication of the results for the pilot auction, for which the European Union was making EUR 800 million of support available. Seven projects from northern and southern Europe were successful in obtaining funding. The aim of the hydrogen auction is to accelerate the rollout of green hydrogen and send price signals by narrowing the cost gap between green and fossil-based hydrogen.

© EU Kommission

H2 Bank Selects Seven Projects"

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The European Commission is allocating nearly 720 million euros to seven projects for renewable hydrogen in Europe. Together, the involved stakeholders aim to produce 1.58 million tons of renewable hydrogen over ten years, thereby avoiding more than 10 million tons of CO2 emissions. Of the selected...

© EWE / Litho Niemann + M. Steggemann
3rd funding wave for H2 infrastructure measures

Brussels approves IPCEI projects

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The decision has finally come. In mid-February 2024, the European Commission approved 24 German IPCEI projects aka Important Projects of Common European Interest. Within the framework of IPCEI Hydrogen, funding is granted to large-scale projects across the entire hydrogen value chain – from H2 production and transportation to storage infrastructure and industrial deployment.