The second Hydrogen IPCEI, called HyUse, was approved on 21 September. This Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) involves 29 companies, including three SMEs, which will carry out up to 35 projects, in one or more of the 13 participating Member States. The project will have up to €5.2 billion in public funding, which is expected to unlock a further €7 billion in private investment.
Hy2Use complements the first IPCEI on the hydrogen value chain, the Hy2Tech IPCEI, which the Commission approved on 15 July 2022. Both IPCEIs address the hydrogen value chain and are aligned with the objectives of key EU policy initiatives such as the Green Deal, the EU Hydrogen Strategy and REPowerEU. However, they do so in different ways.
Hydrogen IPCEI | Hy2Tech
Hy2Tech will cover a broad part of the hydrogen technology value chain, such as:
- Hydrogen generation
- Fuel cells
- Hydrogen storage, transport and distribution
- End-user applications, especially in the mobility sector
It will pursue major technological breakthroughs, such as new high-efficiency electrode materials, more efficient fuel cells and innovative transport technologies, including for the first-time hydrogen-based mobility. With this IPCEI we see EU hydrogen production moving from the lab to the factory floor, and our industry turning technological dominance into commercial leadership.
Hydrogen IPCEI – Hy2Use
IPCEI Hy2Use focuses on projects for the deployment of hydrogen-related infrastructures and hydrogen applications in the industrial sector, bringing Europe closer to the target of installing 6GW of renewable electrolysis by 2024 and 40 GW by 2030 and facilitating the clean transition of energy-intensive industries to increase our independence from fossil fuels.
The project will cover much of the hydrogen value chain by supporting:
The construction of hydrogen-related infrastructures, notably large-scale electrolysers and transport infrastructures, to produce, store and transport renewable and low-carbon hydrogen.
The development of innovative and more sustainable technologies to integrate hydrogen into industrial processes in multiple sectors, especially those that have the most difficulties to decarbonise, such as steel, cement, glass, and ammonia.
Europe and clean hydrogen
Hydrogen has enormous potential for the future, being indispensable for the diversification of energy sources and the green transition. With these two new IPCEI projects (and those to come in the field of Mobility) Europe reinforces its commitment to position itself as a leading region for the industrial transformation of hydrogen, in line with recent decisive developments such as the creation of partnerships through the Clean Hydrogen Alliance, the Hydrogen bank or the new EU-wide standards to enable the hydrogen market and create specific infrastructures, on which work is underway.
