BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - In the fight against climate change, Germany and other EU states may support a European hydrogen project with up to 6.9 billion euros. The EU competition authorities gave the green light on Thursday for the multi-billion euro request to support the energy transition, as announced by the EU Commission. The authority assumes that the request is likely to mobilize additional private investment of around 5.4 billion euros. State aid is subject to strict rules in the EU in order to avoid distortion of competition.

The project, known as "IPCEI Hy2Infra", was prepared by Germany together with six other EU states. According to the information provided, it consists of 33 individual projects from 32 companies. The energy company RWE is one of the German participants. The participating companies are also to work together with external partners such as potential customers and universities throughout Europe.

The responsible EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said that participants in the "West German Cluster", for example, are building three electrolysers in the Rhine-Ruhr region. These devices are used to produce hydrogen. Powered by renewable energies, hydrogen from electrolysers can be a climate-friendly alternative to gas or be used as fuel for trucks.

Vestager announced that the hydrogen produced would be available to companies in the steel, cement, chemical and refinery industries as well as the mobility sector by mid-2027. The aim is to significantly reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions. According to the information provided, part of the project is also an offshore pipeline project in Germany, through which hydrogen is to be produced using wind energy from the North Sea.

Because the production of hydrogen has been officially designated as a common European interest, the project has been launched as an "Important Project of Common European Interest" (IPCEI). This means that less stringent rules apply when companies are supported with state funds. It is already the third IPCEI to promote the hydrogen industry. There is a similar IPCEI to support the European battery industry, for example./mjm/DP/men