Spain signs off €74m in public cash for four green hydrogen technology projects
Electrolyser manufacturer H2B2, Sener, wind turbine specialist Nordex and truck maker Iveco in line for state grants to develop next generation electrolyser and fuel cell technology
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Electrolyser manufacturer H2B2 will be among the recipients of the €74m ($79m) fund, along with Spanish defence firm Sener, which has branched out into green hydrogen project development, Italian truckmaker Iveco and German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex.
President Pedro Sánchez and his cabinet hope the fund will unlock more than €245m in private investment.
The projects, which will be expected to share learning with each other, are dispersed across seven different areas of Spain including the capital Madrid, Andalucía on the southern coast, Catalonia in the northeast, and the northern region known as the Basque country.
H2B2, which is based in Seville, Andalucía, will be working on its "Tecnopropia" electrolyser research and development project as part of Hy2Tech, aiminh to bring down the cost of electrolysers and make them more efficient. The company has not revealed any specifics, although chief technology officer Javier Brey told local media in September that he expects the advances in electrolyser technology to bring down the cost of Spanish green hydrogen to €1-2/kg by 2030.
Sener states on that it is working on “next generation electrolysers” for the EU scheme, while neither Iveco nor Nordex have given any details about their research projects.
Hy2Tech has been classified by the EU as Important Project of Common Interest (IPCEI), meaning that any of the 41 projects associated with it will be allowed to apply for direct subsidy from national governments.
Projects associated with Hy2Tech are located across 15 different member states, and the European Commission has promised to assist with an undisclosed amount of EU-level funding.
Under EU state aid rules, member states wishing to directly subsidise the private sector must apply to the EU for clearance.
“The objective [of Hy2Tech] is to advance in terms of decarbonisation and promote energy and technological independence in Europe,” the Spanish government said on its website.
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