European Commission decides on terms and conditions for EU H2-bank auction

The Commission published the final Terms and Conditions for its second auction for the production of renewable hydrogen (IF24 Auction) via the Innovation Fund. This auction, which is a key pillar of the European Hydrogen Bank (EU H²bank) provides financial support to producers of hydrogen categorised as Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO). The auction  will open on 3 December 2024 and will award up to €1.2 billion support to renewable hydrogen producers located in the European Economic Area, with a dedicated budget of €200 million for projects supplying their production to off-takers in the maritime sector. As a response to criticism from the European hydrogen technology sector about the use of Chinese technology in the projects selected in the first auction of the EU hydrogen bank, projects that submit for the second auction have to prove that they limit the sourcing of electrolyser stacks which include surface treatment, cell unit production and stack assembly from China to not more than 25% (in MWe). The details can be found on the website of the European Commission.