Hydrogen - Funding for two hydrogen projects in Saxony
From the European hydrogen project with a volume of up to 6.9 billion Euro, two projects in Saxony will benefit. The Federal Government and the State are planning a joint funding of around 20 million Euro, as the Saxon Economic Ministry announced today. The Free State will contribute six million Euro.
For the Future
The two projects of the Leipzig transmission network operator Ontras will ensure the infrastructure connection of Saxony and Eastern Germany to hydrogen projects in Western and Eastern Europe as well as in the Baltic and North Seas. This will enable hydrogen to be transported in large quantities over long distances for the first time. This is necessary to make steelworks, chemical plants and power plants fit for the future and to avoid one-sided dependencies in supply relationships.
Saxony as a central pillar
"Hydrogen will be a cornerstone for the energy supply of our industry in the future," said Saxony's Economy Minister Martin Dulig at the handover of the funding decision at the Federal Ministry of Economics. With the joint start of pipeline-, storage- and electrolysis plant projects, "the construction of the new, climate-friendly and future-proof hydrogen supply infrastructure" begins. "This benefits the economy, transport and energy sectors – and not least our citizens," said the SPD politician further. The two projects in Saxony are "the central pillars for the market launch of the hydrogen economy in Germany and Europe."
Fewer stringent rules
Since the production of hydrogen has been officially determined as a common European interest, the project has been brought to life as a so-called "Important Project of Common European Interest" (IPCEI). This means that less stringent rules apply when companies are supported with state funds. The European infrastructure projects are intended to enable the construction of a European hydrogen infrastructure between Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia.
- The successful completion of these projects in Saxony will significantly contribute to making German and European industries more sustainable, focusing on sectors like steelworks, chemical plants, and power plants, all of which can be adapted for a hydrogen-based future.
- The joint funding from the Federal Government and the State of Saxony, totaling approximately 20 million Euro, will also support hydrogen projects in other parts of Europe, including North Sea nations.
- In Berlin, the BMWi (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) has expressed its support for these ventures, recognizing the importance of hydrogen as a critical energy source for Eastern Europe, with Saxony serving as a key player in this transition.
- BMWi further emphasized that the expansion of hydrogen infrastructure in Eastern Germany, particularly in Saxony, will enhance energy security and also stimulate the growth of the hydrogen economy across Eastern Europe.
- To realize this ambitious endeavor, Dresden-based companies are expected to collaborate closely with their counterparts from Northern and Western European nations, fostering a transnational partnership to develop a hydrogen supply chain that expands from Berlin to the North Sea.
