Hy2Move: €1.4 billion EU support to drive €4.7 billion hydrogen transport boost
(Image: Antoine Schibler/Unsplash)
The EU has approved up to €1.4 billion in state aid for hydrogen value chain research, innovation and the first industrial deployment.
The project, called IPCEI Hy2Move, will be supported by seven Member States, and is the fourth Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). It is expected to unlock an additional €3.3 billion in private investments.
“Hydrogen can support us to move around and transport goods with zero emissions. But investing into hydrogen powered mobility and transport technologies can be risky for one Member State or one company alone. This is where State aid rules for IPCEI have a role to play.
“The IPCEI Hy2Move approved today is an example of truly ambitious European cooperation for a key common objective.” said Margrethe Vestager, the former European Commissioner for Competition.
What will the project involve?
Hy2Move focuses on challenges in hydrogen technology specifically for mobility and transport applications.
To address these challenges, the project will support a wide range of developments in the hydrogen technology value chain:
- The development of mobility and transport applications to integrate hydrogen technologies (road, maritime and aviation)
- The development of technologies to produce hydrogen for mobility and transport applications, “in particular for supplying hydrogen refuelling stations on-site with pressurised, 99.99% pure fuel-cell-grade hydrogen”
- The development of high-performance fuel cell technologies with sufficient power to move ships and locomotives
- The development of next generation on-board storage solutions for hydrogen, such as lightweight hydrogen tanks for airplanes
What does this project follow?
An IPCEI, or Important Project of Common European Interest, is a large-scale project of international interest, which requires cross-country collaboration.
The European Commission approved IPCEI Hy2Tech, which focuses on the development of hydrogen technologies for end users, in July 2022. IPCEI Hy2Use was approved later in September 2022, and focuses on hydrogen applications in the industrial sector. Hy2Infra was then approved in February 2024, which focused on infrastructure investments.
Who is contributing?
IPCEI Hy2Move was prepared by seven Member States: Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain.
11 companies are taking part in the project, undertaking 13 projects under the Hy2Move label. These include Michelin, BMW and Air Products, among others. There are also more than 200 indirect partners, including universities and research technology organisations.
Germany, Slovakia and Spain are partially funding the project through the Recovery and Resilience Facility – an EU crisis recovery facility – as all three countries included the IPCEI in their Recovery and Resilience Plans.
What happens next?
The expected completion date of the project is 2031, with the hopes of creating around 3,600 direct jobs. Timelines for individual projects within the IPCEI will vary according to companies and partners involved.
