They will promote research, the development of innovative pilots, and training in key enabling technologies for the green hydrogen value chain.
The grants will be subject to the implementation of developments in Spain and will require a minimum investment of 500,000 euros.
The award criteria will prioritize emissions reduction, the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the impact on Just Transition areas.
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has launched a second call for proposals for the incentives program “4 to the innovative value chain and knowledge of renewable hydrogen,” endowed with 66.6 million euros from the Next Generation EU Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (PRTR). This amount adds to the 40 million euros from the same program in its first call. These incentives are part of the Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Transformation of Renewable Energies, Renewable Hydrogen, and Storage (PERTE ERHA) and aim to promote the development of basic-fundamental research projects, innovative pilots, and training in key enabling technologies within the renewable hydrogen value chain.
The granting of the aids will be subject to the implementation of the developments in Spain, with a minimum investment of 500,000 euros per project. The details of the call are available on the website of the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE), an entity attached to MITECO, which will be responsible for managing these aids to be granted on a competitive basis.
The application period will be open from September 8th until November 7th, 2023 (at 5:00 p.m.). Among the award criteria, the participation of SMEs, the positive impact on Just Transition areas, emission reduction, and job creation will be valued.
ENCOURAGING SME PARTICIPATION
The following entities will be eligible for assistance: companies and business associations; consortia and business groups with at least one participating SME; the institutional public sector; private entities linked or dependent on Public Administrations and Universities; and technological centers, as well as state-level technological innovation support centers.
The allocation of aid will be based on the following criteria:
· Technical characteristics: relevance of the project’s objectives, technology maturity level, and degree of innovation provided. It will be assessed how the project contributes to achieving the corresponding objectives of the PRTR within the framework of component 9.
· Economic viability: positive consideration will be given to the provision of higher private funding in the project for each euro of public funding.
· Project feasibility: evaluation of specific technical objectives, methodology, and work plan, strength of the team (capacity and experience), collaboration between the business sector and the scientific community, SME participation, and progress made in obtaining necessary administrative procedures and permits.
· Technological scalability and market potential: assessment of replicability/scalability criteria, market potential of new technologies, or creation and dissemination of knowledge acquired in the project.
· Externalities: positive impact assessment on Just Transition areas, emission reduction, job creation, among others.
Beneficiaries will have a maximum period of 36 months for the implementation of actions from the date of notification of the definitive resolution granting the aid, and 3 months for the justification of the actions after the maximum period granted for their implementation has expired.
RENEWABLE HYDROGEN, A COUNTRY PROJECT
This second call of the incentive program for the innovative value chain of renewable hydrogen is part of Component 9 ‘Renewable Hydrogen Roadmap and Sector Integration’ of the PRTR and, specifically, in its Investment 1: ‘Renewable Hydrogen: a country project’, which aims to position Spain as a benchmark in the production and utilization of green hydrogen.
Furthermore, they are part of the ERHA PERTE, a comprehensive program of instruments and measures to develop technology, knowledge, industrial capabilities, and new business models that reinforce our country’s leadership position in the field of clean energies. It will mobilize an investment of over 16.3 billion, including contributions from the Recovery Plan and private funds.
Likewise, through the implementation of this support mechanism, progress is being made in achieving the objectives of the Hydrogen Roadmap, as well as in the draft update of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, which foresees 11 GW of electrolysis by 2030, demonstrating our country’s ambition to become a key player in green hydrogen in the European context.
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