Netherlands to hold €1bn auction for green hydrogen subsidies in 2024, targets 8GW by 2032
Government plans to announce details of subsidy scheme in the autumn in effort to boost renewable H2 volumes to meet RED II targets
The Dutch government will tender €1bn ($1.09bn) from its Climate Fund for large-scale green hydrogen projects next year in an effort to ramp up production for use in industry and transport, according to a letter to the country’s parliament by climate and energy policy minister Rob Jetten.
Hydrogen: hype, hope and the hard truths around its role in the energy transition
Jetten’s letter also includes a new ambition for 8GW of installed capacity by 2032, in addition to the existing target of 4GW by 2030.
RED II still needs to be voted through by both the European Council and European Parliament, a process which could take months. This could mean that in addition to an 18-month deadline for member states to update their policies, the mandate may not come into effect until mid-decade.
“Because we already subsidise the supply side, a temporary combination of instruments aimed at supply and use will arise,” writes Jetten. “In the design I will take into account that this combination does not lead to double subsidies, excessive profits, market power or price-increasing effects.”
However, the Dutch government also appears to have walked back its expectations for renewable hydrogen use outside of industry and transport.
“In agriculture and the built environment, I foresee modest volumes for the use of hydrogen for the time being, and the policy will remain mainly focused on pilots and small-scale regional initiatives,” Jetten writes.
The Dutch government is due to publish a detailed analysis of hydrogen’s role in the future energy mix in a letter to parliament before the summer.
Jetten also pledges to store hydrogen in four salt caverns and a pilot gas field storage project by 2030.
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