Spain‘s government has allocated €274.2 million ($316 million) through the Auctions-as-a-Service (AaaS) mechanism to support renewable hydrogen production at four projects in Castilla-La Mancha (two), Galicia and Aragón. The projects have a combined electrolysis capacity of 102.27 MW. “The projects had been selected in the European Hydrogen Bank’s third general auction (IF25), but were excluded from Brussels’ funding because they exceeded the allocated EU budget. To salvage these projects, the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), an agency under Miteco, launched the second national call for Auctions as a Service (AaaS) last May, with a maximum budget of €440.5 million funded by NextGenerationEU grants under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR),” said Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco).

Hydnum Steel has secured a €150 million ($172.9 million) investment commitment from the Co-investment Fund (Foco), managed by the public asset management company Cofides. “The transaction is part of a financial plan that will mobilise an overall investment of more than €1.5 billion. Of this figure, approximately €600 million corresponds to equity, whilst around €1 billion will be debt,” said the company, which is developing what it describes as the first green steel plant on the Iberian Peninsula. It added that it plans to begin earthworks and construction by the end of 2026. “The project has garnered significant interest from potential clients, having reached agreements that cover 100% of the production capacity demand for the first phase during its initial five years of operation.”

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a €780 million ($899 million) Dutch scheme to support renewable hydrogen production. “The aid will be awarded through a competitive bidding process planned to be concluded by the first quarter of 2027. It will take the form of a direct grant combining an upfront investment grant of up to 80% of the investment costs with a variable premium over five to 10 years,” said the European Commission. Beneficiaries must comply with the EU delegated acts on renewable hydrogen.

The first hydrogen produced at the electrolysis plant in Lingen, Lower Saxony, has reached Marl in Germany‘s northern Ruhr region. “As part of the ongoing commissioning process for two 100 MW electrolysis plants operated by RWE in Lingen, initial quantities of renewable hydrogen are being produced in accordance with EU rules,” the company said, adding that the hydrogen is being transported through a pipeline network spanning around 120 km. Evonik’s Marl Chemical Park will use the hydrogen in its industrial production processes. “RWE is commissioning 200 MW of electrolysis capacity in Lingen by the end of 2026. From 2027, the entire plant is scheduled to operate at a capacity of 300 MW.”

Comtel and H2-Era Green Valley have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop what the two Italian companies described as the first data centre designed as an integral part of a zero-impact circular economy industrial ecosystem. The project will be built on a disused industrial site in Figline Valdarno, near Florence. “A large solar farm will cover 100% of the data centre’s energy requirements, ensuring it is entirely self-sufficient using clean energy sources; any surplus energy produced will power an electrolysis plant to generate green hydrogen; the oxygen produced by the electrolysis process will be used in a closed-loop fish farm dedicated to salmon production; the waste heat generated by the data centre will be recovered to provide heating and cooling for a vertical farm,” said Comtel.

Libya‘s National Green Hydrogen Strategy Committee has held a meeting to finalise the data and information required for the country’s green hydrogen strategy, in coordination with relevant entities, while discussing mechanisms for using available expertise and technical support. “This aims to ensure the development of a comprehensive strategy that supports the investment of Libya’s promising potential in this sector,” said the Libyan government.