EU grants EUR 998 million to boost green hydrogen production in Netherlands

The European Commission has granted EUR 998 million to a Dutch scheme to promote green hydrogen production, along with EUR 80 million to Djewels, a subsidiary of HyCC, to advance its green hydrogen technology. This funding supports the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the European Green Deal, which aim to develop green hydrogen, produced through the electrolysis of water using renewable energy.

The funding will support the construction of at least 200 MW of electrolysis capacity, distributed via a bidding process to be completed in 2024. Projects must have a capacity of at least 0.5 MW to qualify. The funding will be provided as a direct grant, including an upfront investment grant covering up to 80 per cent of investment costs and a variable premium over five to ten years. Recipients must comply with EU criteria for renewable fuels of non-biological origins.

The scheme aims to help the Netherlands achieve 500 MW of electrolyser capacity by 2025 and 3–4 GW by 2030. The EU aims to build at least 6 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolysers by the end of 2024 and at least 40 GW by 2030. The German Government also recently approved a hydrogen import strategy, anticipating national hydrogen demand to reach 95–130 terawatt-hours by 2030.