taly announces nearly €1bn in subsidies toward EU-approved hydrogen projects
At least one hub is in line for €470m of public spending on electrolysers and H2 pipelines
The Italian government has announced today (Thursday) that it will spend more than €994m on subsidies towards hydrogen projects that had been included in the EU’s Hy2Infra Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) list.
The European Commission had itself announced earlier this year that up to 600MW of electrolysis capacity, as well as H2 pipelines, in Italy would be eligible for vast amounts of state aid via Hy2Infra, which effectively greenlit €6.9bn of government spending across seven European countries.
While Rome has not named the three Italian companies that had already been notified as part of the IPCEI wave, some have already publicly announced their projects were included on the list.
The Puglia Green Hydrogen Valley’s developers had in February announced that it is in line for a combined €470m of public funds.
This hub will feature 160MW of electrolyser capacity across Brindisi and Taranto developed by Milan-headquartered energy firm Edison and engineering firm Saipem, as well as 110km of pipelines — 85km of which would be repurposed gas infrastructure — developed by gas transmission system operator Snam for operations to begin in 2028.
Local developer Energie Salentine was also notified as part of Hy2Infra, but it is unknown what project had been specifically listed.
The Italian government confirms that the state aid will take the form of grants to cover eligible investments.
“Italy is at the forefront of the hydrogen challenge, [with] almost a billion euros for the Italian supply chain, another important tool on the road to technological neutrality, with strategic projects on green technology,” said Adolfo Urso, the Italian minister of enterprise and “Made in Italy”.
Source:Hydrogeninsight