The German ministry of economic affairs and energy together with the ministry of transport have invited companies to present ideas for the development of the hydrogen supply chain, Kallanish learns from a press release.   

As part of the so-called Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) programme, the two ministries, in association with the federal environment ministry, are planning to promote integrated projects along the entire value chain.

This covers  production of green hydrogen and infrastructure projects, as well as the use of hydrogen in industry and mobility. A total of €7 billion ($8.5 billion) from the federal government's economic stimulus package are to be made available for this purpose. Companies can upload their project outlines until 19 February, 2021.

“I would like to call on companies to make bold and forward-looking investment decisions,“ economy minister Peter Altmaier says in the announcement. “With innovative hydrogen technologies, we can show that climate protection and industrial policy are not contradictory, but can become a joint success story."

On 17 December 17, Altmaier and 22 other European ministers or their representatives signed a "manifesto" for the IPCEI Hydrogen Technologies and. In this manifesto, the governments pledged to fund hydrogen projects in their countries and agreed on further joint action.