The discussion aims to lay the foundation for future industrial policy, enhancing hydrogen adoption and supporting Europe’s decarbonisation objectives through robust energy infrastructure and efficient resource use.
Visit the event page to find out more about the webinar:
H2Talk - Hydrogen IPCEI: Key takeaways and what’s next for EU industrial policy - Hydrogen Europe
Speakers
Speakers include:
- Demos Spatharis (Head of Unit, IPCEI, Environment & Innovation, European Commission, DG COMP)
- Jacek Truszczynski (Deputy Head of Unit, Net Zero Industries, Sustainable and Circular Products, European Commission, DG GROW)
- Mirthe Kuenen (Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands)
- Falko Loher (Policy Officer, Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Republic of Austria)
- Stephane Kaba (IPCEI Hydrogen Program Director, Alstom)
Moderated by Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe.
Registration
Sign up for this webinar by filling out the registration form:
Registration form 'H2Talk - Hydrogen IPCEI'
Background
IPCEIs are ambitious, cross-border projects that support EU objectives of competitiveness, industrial policy, and decarbonisation. IPCEIs enable Member States, via state aid, to jointly support private projects that would not be developed under current market conditions. The chosen projects can receive up to 100% of their project funding gap, including both CAPEX and OPEX.
In 2019, the hydrogen sector saw the launch of an IPCEI with the potential to mobilise nearly € 40 billion in both private and public resources for projects, throughout the entire hydrogen value chain. However, 6 years on, significant questions remain about the framework, and the status of many projects remains unclear due to notable implementation challenges.
In fact, in a recent analysis, Hydrogen Europe found that only 21% of the 122 Hydrogen IPCEI projects have reached Final Investment Decision (FID). The slow disbursement of national funding, varying regulations among participating Member States, lengthy notification processes, and continual changes in hydrogen market conditions have collectively led to delays in project development and lack of FID.
Although the IPCEI process is fundamental and embodies a pan-European spirit, it urgently requires simplification and faster implementation to be effective. In this regard, current political discussions appear to be moving in the right direction. The Letta and Draghi reports, the Competitiveness Compass, and the Clean Industrial Deal communication have outlined how a streamlined IPCEI structure—characterised by enhanced collaboration among Member States, the creation of a “one-stop shop” for IPCEIs, engagement with the EIB for financial advice and guarantees, and overall simplification—can strengthen its process. Yet, the question remains: how can the framework be adapted for the future? How can deployment of H2 projects be accelerated?