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EU awards over €1 billion to European hydrogen projects to accelerate the clean transition
Today, the European Commission has selected 9 hydrogen production projects under the third auction of the European Hydrogen Bank (EHB). Across seven countries in the European Economic Area, the projects are expected to provide almost 1.1 giga-watts of electrolyser capacity and produce over 1.3 million tonnes of hydrogen over their first 10 years of operation, with an estimated greenhouse gas emissions avoidance of 9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The selected projects will receive a total of around €1.09 billion in EU funding from the Innovation Fund, sourced from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The produced hydrogen will help reduce emissions from energy-intensive industries such as transport and chemicals. The projects are expected to strengthen Europe's industrial leadership, long-term competitiveness and jobs, and contribute to EU's clean transition, energy independence and security.
The auction awards successful projects with a subsidy to help cover the price difference between their production costs and the market price. The objective is to incentivise clean hydrogen production and use. Upon signature of their grant agreements, the nine selected projects will receive a fixed premium of between €0.57 and €3.49 per kilogramme of certified and verified hydrogen produced, for a maximum period of 10 years.
The selected projects under the renewable hydrogen fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) General topic:
|
Project Name |
Coordinator |
Country |
Bid Volume (hydrogen kilotonne over 10 years) |
Bid Capacity (Megawatts electric) |
Expected GHG avoidance* (kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent over 10 years) |
Bid Price (EUR/kg) |
|
AN-1-B |
HELLENIC HYDROGEN A.E. |
Greece |
38,654
|
25 MWe |
264.39 |
€0.57
|
|
T2X |
TURN2X Asset Co II EXTREMADURA SL |
Spain |
6,390
|
9 MWe |
43.71 |
€0.62
|
|
NJK |
MorGen |
Denmark |
445,000
|
300 MWe |
3,043.80 |
€0.95
|
|
ALBA |
Hy2gen Nordic AS |
Denmark
|
144,118
|
100 MWe |
985.77 |
€0.97
|
|
Hy4IND |
Wiener Wasserstoff GmbH |
Austria |
3,036
|
5 MWe |
20.77 |
€0.98 |
List of selected projects under the RFNBO Low Carbon topic:
|
Project Name |
Coordinator |
Country |
Bid Volume (hydrogen kilotonne over 10 years) |
Bid Capacity (Megawatts electric) |
Expected GHG avoidance* (kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent over 10 years) |
Bid Price (EUR/kg) |
|
Cloudberry |
Vetyalfa Oy |
Finland |
508,915
|
500 MWe |
3,481 |
€0.44
|
|
Lotse |
Lotse |
Germany |
140,554
|
120 MWe |
964.5 |
€1.10
|
List of selected projects under the Maritime-Aviation topic:
|
Project Name |
Coordinator |
Country |
Bid Volume (hydrogen kilotonne over 10 years) |
Bid Capacity (Megawatts electric) |
Expected GHG avoidance* (kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent over 10 years) |
Bid Price (EUR/kg) |
|
Gen2-LH2 |
Gen2 Energy AS |
Norway |
17,886
|
12 MWe |
122.34 |
€3.48
|
|
RogalandH2 |
GREEN H AS |
Norway |
17,700
|
12.5 MWe |
121.07 |
€3.49
|
* For RFNBO H2 volumes, calculated based on the 2021-2025 ETS benchmark of 6.84 tons CO2e/tH2, not taking into account additional carbon abatement due to substitution effects in the H2 end use application (i.e. conservative estimate). Any electrolytic low carbon hydrogen production volumes are assumed to avoid the minimum of 70% of emissions compared with the fossil fuel comparator.
The auction allocates financial support through a competitive bidding process, designed to maximise GHG emission reductions while supporting market price discovery. Projects were ranked according to their bid price, reflecting the level of support required per kilogram of clean hydrogen produced. Following an assessment of their eligibility and quality, the projects were selected in ascending order of bid price until the available Innovation Fund budget was fully allocated.
In addition, Spain and Germany are participating through the Auctions-as-a-Service feature, adding a further €1.7 billion in national funds. This enables Member States to use national resources to support projects in their own territories that have applied to the auction. This feature reduces administrative burden and ensures a coordinated and cost-efficient allocation of public support across Europe. Germany will support RFNBO hydrogen production with up to €1.3 billion, and Spain will contribute up to €440 million. Projects placed on the Innovation Fund reserve list that fall within the budget made available by participating Member States, and in line with the overall ranking order, may be transferred to the relevant national authorities to begin grant agreement preparations. This possibility will be offered to three projects located in Spain and three located in Denmark. ‘Auctions-as-a-service' is open to all Member States, enabling them to benefit from the EU-level auction platform and award national funding to additional projects with simplified procedure.
Next steps
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will start the formal preparation of grant agreements with the selected projects. This step will confirm the final conditions of the financial support, including the awarded fixed premium per kilogram of hydrogen and the implementation timeline. Agreements are expected to be signed in the last quarter of 2026.
The selected projects will have to reach financial close within two and a half years of grant signature and enter into operation within five years. These commitments are backed by a completion guarantee provided by the projects to the Commission.
CINEA will continue to monitor progress throughout implementation to ensure projects are delivered as planned and support is used in line with the agreed terms.
Background
The nine projects were selected as a result of the third Auction for domestic hydrogen production of the European Hydrogen Bank. It aims to boost the domestic production of RFNBOs and, for the first time, electrolytic low carbon hydrogen, through dedicated funding streams. The auction included a dedicated topic for hydrogen producers supplying off-takers in the maritime and aviation sectors. This third Auction closed on 19 February 2026 and attracted 58 bids from 11 countries, resulting in an oversubscription of over 6 times the budget of €1.3 billion.
The Innovation Fund has an estimated total budget of €40 billion from the EU Emissions Trading System for the period from 2020 to 2030. It creates financial incentives for companies and public authorities to invest in cutting-edge net-zero technologies and support Europe's transition to climate neutrality. The Innovation Fund has already awarded around 260 innovative projects across the EEA.
The European Hydrogen Bank auctions complement the Innovation Fund's calls for proposals by enabling a market-based allocation of support, helping to direct funding where it can most efficiently unlock investment in innovative low-carbon technologies.
For more information
News: Launch of three new funding opportunities under the Innovation Fund
Innovation Fund competitive bidding
Innovation Fund dashboard