(Berlin) - The federal government has launched an expression of interest process for hydrogen projects. The leading Federal Ministries for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWI) and for Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) are calling on companies to outline their plans and submit proposals by February 19th.
As part of the “Important Projects of Common European Interest” (IPCEI), the federal government wants to promote “integrated projects along the entire value chain from the production of green hydrogen to infrastructure to the use of hydrogen in industry and mobility”. In total, several billion euros from the federal government's economic stimulus package from last year as well as funds from the federal states will be available for this purpose.
The IPCEI procedures support projects with national state funds that make an important contribution to the growth and competitiveness of European industry and the strategic goals of the European Union.
At a virtual kick-off event as part of the German Council Presidency in December 2020, Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier, together with 22 other European ministers, signed a “manifesto” for the IPCEI “Hydrogen Technologies and Systems”. In it, the governments involved promised to finance hydrogen projects in their countries and agreed on further joint action (we reported). With the expression of interest process, Germany is taking the first concrete step towards a hydrogen IPCEI.
Projects of common European interest
A “project of common European interest” is a transnational project that makes an important contribution to the growth, employment and competitiveness of European industry and economy through state funding. An IPCEI must, among other things, be carried out by several Member States, provide for its own co-financing by the companies/institutions involved and pursue very ambitious objectives in terms of research and innovation that go well beyond the international state of the art in the sector concerned.
The IPCEI funding is only intended to cover the financing gap and ensure sufficient profitability of the project. Up to 100 percent of the eligible costs recognized under state aid law are eligible for funding up to the amount of the funding gap. In any case, the partners must contribute a significant amount of their own.
Member States may grant repayable advances, loans, guarantees or non-repayable grants to IPCEI. The type of funding (eligible costs/expenses, funding rate, funding period) is determined for each IPCEI by the responsible Member State within the framework of the state aid approval requirements. The states provide the funding from their national budgets.
Announcement verbatim
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/I/ipcei-bekanntmachung-interessenbekundungsverfahren.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=16
deep link
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Pressemitteilungen/2021/01/20210114-europaeisches-grossprojekt-zur-foerderung-von-wasserstofftechnologien-geht-in-die-startbloecke.html
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Artikel/Energie/ipcei-verfahren-wasserstoff.html
Photos
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier / © BMWi/Andreas Mertens
