Politics and Law

The German federal government has adopted the 2025 draft budget and key figures for 2026. The German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) criticizes massive cuts in hydrogen funding and warns of negative consequences for industry and Germany as a business location.

The National Hydrogen Council (NWR) has published eight theses for a future-oriented hydrogen policy. Among other things, it calls for simplified regulatory frameworks, the rapid expansion of infrastructure and reliable market structures for hydrogen and its derivatives.

The German Hydrogen Association (DWV) welcomes the draft bill implementing the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) in the transport sector. At the same time, the association calls for significantly more ambitious quotas for green hydrogen and electricity-based fuels.

For hydrogen to be able to be used as an important part of the energy transition comprehensively in industry, mobility and energy supply in Germany, new lines must be built and existing natural gas pipelines must also be upgraded for hydrogen transport. This can be challenging, as hydrogen is explosive and attacks the materials of the pipes. Professional material testing creates the necessary security regarding this.

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.

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...

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.