The Clean Hydrogen Partnership has selected 9 Hydrogen Valley projects following its first call proposals (2022). The total funding requested for the 9 Hydrogen Valleys amounts to EUR 105.4 million.

The projects will now start negotiations for their grant agreements, which are expected to be concluded before the summer. The projects focus on the production of clean hydrogen and address a variety of applications in the energy, transport, and industry sectors.  It is expected that the projects will be able to mobilise investments of at least 5 times the funding provided by the EU or above EUR 0.5 billion.

Hydrogen Valleys contribute to the REPowerEU objectives by scaling up green hydrogen production, supply and consequently to meet the growing demand from industry, transport, and other sectors. The European Commission allocated to the Clean Hydrogen Partnership an additional €200 million through REPowerEU, to double the number of Hydrogen Valleys in Europe by 2025.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “I congratulate theClean Hydrogen Partnership and the selected Hydrogen Valleys for supporting the path to a leading and competitive European economy. The results of the call show a strong mobilisation across Europe – North, South, East, West – and a clear demonstration of alignment of strategies and the use of synergies between public and private funding. We need it to build a Hydrogen Research and Innovation Union.”

Melyssa Verykios, Chair of the Governing Board of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled and proud at the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, to witness the Hydrogen Valley vision that was captured a few years back, materialise on a multiplying and growing hydrogen ecosystem at such timely fashion. These 9 valleys will be planting the seeds of the envisioned hydrogen economy, incubating hydrogen valley hubs simultaneously at several EU MS, interconnecting and transitioning them into a growth value chain at scale.”

Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, said: “The decision to provide funding for 9 hydrogen valleys shows EU’s commitment to accelerate the implementation of hydrogen technologies in order to realize the ambitious goals of the Green Deal and REPowerEU. These projects will benefit regions, local authorities, industry, and Europe’s citizens who need a new, greener, smarter economy.”

The Clean Hydrogen Partnership has started the grant preparations for 2 flagship Hydrogen Valleys(projects of a scale significantly larger to what has been supported to date – i.e., producing at least 5,000 H₂ tonnes / year, with interlinkages to other places of hydrogen production and/or consumptions outside project boundaries). The first will be spread across the North Adriatic area (comprising Croatia, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, and Slovenia) and the second aims to build a hydrogen corridor across Baltic Sea countries, including Estonia and South Finland.

Stephen Taylor, Director of Research and Innovation at Area Science Park and Coordinator of the Project Proposal Team of the Joint Working Group for the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” said: “The governments of the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, together with lead partner HSE and the entire partnership warmly welcome the selection by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project, a flagship initiative in Central-Southern Europe which will facilitate the transition towards an integrated ecosystem involving industry, energy and transport sectors, and enhance cooperation in research and innovation, to develop a hydrogen supply chain. We are looking forward to starting the negotiations for the EU grant agreement and we hope to kickstart this exciting and important project as soon as possible”.

The partnership, led by main Slovenian electricity producer HSE, supported by ECUBES, includes 34 organisations from Government, Research, and Industry, and covers the entire value chain from production through storage and distribution to final end use of hydrogen as a key energy vector in multiple sectors. The amount of financing requested through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership is EUR 25 m.

The other transnational hydrogen valley gathers 44 organisations from regions around the Baltic Sea. The amount of financing requested through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership is EUR 25 million.

In addition, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership has started the grant preparations for 7 smaller scale Hydrogen Valleys projects (at least 500 H₂ tonnes / year), focusing on areas of Europe with no or limited presence of H2 Valleys. Each of them will be funded with 8m EUR. The valleys will comprise regions in Bulgaria (Stara Zagora), Greece (Crete and Corinthia), Ireland (Galway), Italy (Lombardy), Turkey (South Marmara) and Luxembourg.