March 2025: Germany's Climate Protection Contracts program, also known as Carbon Contracts for Difference, supports energy-intensive industries in transitioning to low-emission production. Following the successful first bidding round in 2024, the European Commission approved the second round in March 2025. The program offsets additional costs for climate-friendly production and requires companies to repay savings if production becomes cheaper than conventional methods. Revised guidelines now allow more flexibility in emission reductions and include hydrogen and carbon capture projects. The program is expected to continue under the new German government, with a third bidding round likely.
Source: Germany: InsightPlus-BakerMckenzie- Climate Protection Contracts — An interim assessment
May 2024: On 29 May 2024, the federal cabinet of Germany agreed on a new law that aims to facilitate a rapid expansion of Germany’s hydrogen infrastructure.
Source: German Cabinet Approves Hydrogen Acceleration Law
March 2024: On 5 February 2024, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner agreed on the key elements of a new power plant strategy (Kraftwerksstrategie). While the political agreement must still be followed by a specific legislative proposal, details of the power plant strategy became available through a press release from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Source: Germany: Power plant strategy - Focus on hydrogen
March 2024: On 8 December 2023, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action presented its energy storage strategy. The strategy paper provides an overview of the measures and challenges involved in establishing energy storage systems. The energy storage strategy aims to promote the expansion and integration of energy storage systems and thus support the energy transition.
Source: Germany: Energy storage strategy — more flexibility and stability
February 2024: The European Commission has today approved 24 German projects as part of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) Hydrogen program. The projects submitted by Germany are part of the so-called “infrastructure wave” (Hy2Infra) of the IPCEI Hydrogen, which includes a total of 33 projects from several EU Member States that have received joint approval under State aid law. The Federal Government and the respective Länder have earmarked around EUR 4.6 billion in funding for Germany’s IPCEI Hydrogen infrastructure projects.
Source: European Commission gives the go-ahead for the funding of 24 German IPCEI hydrogen projects
October 2023: Germany is taking further steps with regard to developing a national hydrogen infrastructure. On 19 June 2023, the Federal Government published respective draft legislation that provides for the development of a hydrogen core grid (Wasserstoff-Kernnetz). The envisioned hydrogen core grid is the first step toward developing a general hydrogen grid in Germany, creating the first supra-regional hydrogen grid connecting the most important supply points with greenhouse gas-intensive industry locations.
Source: Germany: Development of a hydrogen core grid and update of the National Hydrogen Strategy
September 2023: Norway and Germany have now agreed to set up a joint Task Force to follow up the results of an ongoing joint feasibility study, which is looking into possibilities to transport hydrogen and CO2 between Germany and Norway.
Source: Norway and Germany take next step in hydrogen cooperation
December 2022: The H2Global Foundation announced on 8 December the launch of its wholly-owned subsidiary, HINT.CO GmbH has its first procurement procedure for the import of green ammonia into Europe. This procedure is intended to provide an innovative and efficient funding instrument, backed by EUR 900 million provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, with further funding planned for 2023. This is the first global tender procedure of its kind. The deadline for application is 7 February 2023.
November 2022: Egypt and Germany signed two declarations of intent in the fields of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and green hydrogen to contribute to securing clean energy supplies, achieving sustainable development and confronting climate change.
Source: Egypt, Germany sign 2 declarations of intent in natural gas, green hydrogen fields
August 2022: On August 23, 2022, the Government of Canada and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent establishing a Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance committing the two countries to collaborate in the export of clean Canadian hydrogen to Germany.
Source: Canada and Germany Sign Agreement to Enhance German Energy Security with Clean Canadian Hydrogen
October 2021: On 4 October 2021 the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the Federal Ministry of Research (BMBF) published a Funding Guideline to support the international development of green hydrogen generation plants ("Funding Guideline"). The Funding Guideline is set up as another offering to support the international market ramp-up of green hydrogen and sits alongside the H2 Global foundation model. Responsibility is divided among the BMWi and the BMBF.
The funding aims to promote the use of German technologies abroad, to contribute to the timely and targeted development of a global market for green hydrogen, and to prepare structures for the import of hydrogen. The funding directive specifically supports projects for the production and further processing of green hydrogen as well as for the storage, transport and use of hydrogen in countries outside the EU through an investment grant for the facilities worth up to EUR 15 million each. Companies and research institutions can also submit funding applications for accompanying research projects, studies and training measures. Currently, EUR 350 million has been budgeted for funding under the directive. The projects funded under the directive must be implemented by the end of 2024.
Source: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie
Secondary source in English: FuelCellsWorks
August 2021: The Director General of the National Planning Commission, Obeth Kandjoze and Germany's Federal Research Minister, Anja Karliczek, agreed to establish a hydrogen partnership between Germany and Namibia and signed a joint communiqué of intent in Windhoek and Berlin in August. Germany's Research Ministry will provide up to EUR 40 million in funding from its economic stimulus package for cooperation within the framework of this partnership.
Source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
June 2021: Scott Morrison and Angela Merkel sign Joint Declaration of Intent: Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison signed a joint declaration at the G7 Plus meeting, stating the commitment of the two countries to commercialize and purchase green hydrogen. As Germany is pursuing net-zero emissions by 2045, demand for emission-free energy will be even greater than previously planned. Australia, with its vast assets of renewable energy, is in a prime position to satisfy significant parts of the demand.
Source: German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce
May 2021:
Germany will fund 62 large-scale hydrogen projects with as much as USD10 billion in federal and state funds as it aims to become the world’s leader in hydrogen technologies, the German ministries of economy and transport said. Germany will provide USD 9.72 billion (EUR 8 billion) to the 62 projects it has selected to reduce emissions in the transportation, steelmaking, and chemicals sectors.
Source: RT.com
December 2020: The Federal Minister of Economics handed over a funding decision to further develop electrolysis components in a project for green hydrogen in Saudi Arabia to the CEO of ThyssenKrupp AG. Thyssenkrupp will provide electrolyzer for the PtX "Element One" project in Saudi Arabia. The funding will come from the economic and future package established through Germany's National Hydrogen Strategy, announced in June 2020.
Source: German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Secondary source in English: Recharge news
September 2020: On 11 September 2020, the Australian and German governments announced they have signed a joint resolution of intent on 28 August, 2020 to carry out a two-year joint feasibility study to investigate the Australian-German supply chain involving the production, storage, transport, and use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy. The Australian government is releasing a call for an Expression of Interest from the Australian research and industry to partner with the German industry on the study. The submission for this Expression of Interest will close at 11:30 PM (Australian CT) on 9 October 2020.
Source:
Joint Declaration of Intent on an Australian-German Supply Chain Feasibility Study of Hydrogen produced from Renewables
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June 2020: The German government in a press release dated 10 June 2020 announced the adoption of a National Hydrogen Strategy. In support of this strategy, a total of EUR 9 billion is to be invested to make hydrogen a marketable fuel, with EUR 7 billion designated for investment within Germany and EUR 2 billion designated for international partnerships. The press release pronounces that the hydrogen strategy aims to make Germany the world's leading provider of modern hydrogen technologies. In keeping with this lofty goal, the appointment of a National Hydrogen Council to focus on hydrogen is also announced in the press release.
Source:
German government adopts hydrogen strategy - press release dated 10 June 2020
National hydrogen strategy
December 2019:A further 16 winners in the BMVI (Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure) "HyLand - Hydrogen Regions in Germany" initiative was announced: 13 HyExpert regions to receive EUR 300,000 each to create and calculate concrete project ideas for hydrogen concepts and three HyPerformer regions to receive EUR 20 million each to implement existing concepts. The funding is provided by the National Innovation Program Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP2). Nine hydrogen regions were previously announced in September 2019 as winners of the HyStarter competition.
2019: A national Hydrogen Strategy is under development by four federal ministries. It was targeted for release before the end of the year.
Source: France: The Hydrogen deployment plan for energy transition