Production

Spain doubles cash on offer to its green hydrogen industry with another €1.6bn of support

A total of €1.55bn had already been allocated as part of the country’s post-Covid recovery programme

Teresa Ribera, Spain's minister for energy and the ecological transition.
Teresa Ribera, Spain's minister for energy and the ecological transition.Photo: Europa Press/Getty
  • Polly Martin

Spain has put an extra €1.6bn towards green hydrogen in its updated post-Covid recovery, transformation and resilience plan (PERTE), according to the country’s minister of energy and ecological transition Teresa Ribera.

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The addendum, which was sent to the European Commission for approval last week, includes almost €5.5bn extra for its renewables and hydrogen programme, known as PERTE ERHA, as well as a further €2.72bn for industrial decarbonisation, which could also include the use of H2.

The government plans to increase the amount of money it will take from the EU’s €723bn post-Covid Recovery and Resilience Facility “to complete the calls for aid, finance tax rebates or other incentives, participation in IPCEI [Important Projects of Common European Interest] consortia or investments and recapitalisation of the entities or companies in charge of developing the projects on the ground”.

“The desire to take advantage of our technological and industrial potential in renewable H2 led us to introduce a line of recovery funds and PERTE ERHA dedicated precisely to H2,” wrote Ribera in a recent Twitter thread.

This extra finance is on top of €1.55bn that has already been allocated for the green hydrogen the sector.

However, it is not yet known when the European Commission will approve the funding, and when companies will be able to tap into it.

Ribera said that hydrogen developments in Puertollano, Mallorca, Algeciras and Huelva demonstrate that the sector “is not a project for the future, it is a reality of the present”.

She also raised the potential for exports to the rest of Europe by ship or pipeline, highlighting the planned H2Med pipeline network between Portugal, Spain, France and Germany.

Private companies are already gearing up for large-scale production aimed at supplying Germany and the Netherlands.

Spanish oil and gas firm Cepsa has pledged to invest €3bn into 2GW of green H2 development — including 1GW in Huelva — with agreements in place to export hydrogen and ammonia via the port of Algeciras to Rotterdam from 2027.
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SpainGreen H2EuropeEuropean Commission
Published 16 June 2023, 11:38Updated 16 June 2023, 11:38