EC urged to set various pre-qualification criteria for hydrogen auctions

Hydrogen associations from a number of European countries have written to the European Commission, urging it to bring the Hydrogen Bank in line with the Net Zero Industry Act by subsidising preferably projects with EU-made electrolysers.

When it comes to electrolysers used in projects seeking funding from the Hydrogen Bank, the organisations are calling for setting a resilience prequalification criteria as proposed by Hydrogen Europe, along with prequalification criteria on social aspects, cybersecurity, as well as safety and performance standards

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According to the letter, dated July 5, it is crucial to demonstrate that decarbonisation and reindustrialisation can go hand-in-hand to bring high social value within the EU.

“With NZIA, co-legislators have set the right objectives; it’s time to make them operational with concrete tools, and Hydrogen Bank rules on electrolysers origin offer us a first major opportunity for it. Let’s seize it!” the signatories, which include groups from France, Germany and Italy, among others, add.

Gigafactories backed by the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) are gradually being commissioned across the EU, enabling the block to meet all its domestic demand by 2030 with domestic manufacturing, the latter says further.

The signatories simultaneously welcomed the confirmation of the second Hydrogen Bank auction to de-risk the first waves of industrial-scale projects, which together with the auction-as-a-service for national support production schemes, will be key to the ramp-up of the European hydrogen industry.

At the start of the month, a number of companies from the European electrolyser industry also wrote to the European Commission President, calling for the introduction of tough resilience criteria through the EU Hydrogen Bank.

“We believe that this funding mechanism and EU money paid by European taxpayers’ must promote and support a resilient European electrolyser industry, benefitting European citizens with quality jobs,” the signatories, including companies such as Siemens Energy, Sunfire and Thyssenkrupp Nucera, said.

The letter warns of a risk of repeating the solar tragedy and says that the next two-three years will be critical.