The European Commission has granted Italy the go ahead to set up a €450 million project to support integrated hydrogen and renewable energy production in brownfield sites.
The measure, financed under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP), is also aimed at fostering Italy’s transition to a zero-emissions economy, Euractiv reported.
“This €450 million scheme will enable Italy to accelerate the development of renewable hydrogen capacity, in line with the EU hydrogen strategy”, said EU Vice-President Margrethe Vestager.
“The measure will also help Italy reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels, in line with the RePowerEu plan, while ensuring that any distortions of competition are minimised”, she added.
At the start of the year, Confindustria Energia, a branch of Confindustria – the main representative organisation of Italian manufacturing and service enterprises – called for the NRP to be revised to broaden the slice of investment dedicated to the “sustainable and resilient” energy transition outlined by the REPowerEU.
“So far, the Commission’s assessment of Italy’s progress towards implementing the Recovery and Resilience Plan has been positive. Obviously, it is very important to continue a swift and effective implementation of the Plan, both for reforms and investments”, said an EU Commission spokeswoman.
“For the moment, the implementation of the Plan is on track. We are assessing the third payment request, and we have agreed to a further extension of the extension period. We will be coming forward with our assessment of that payment request by the end of April”, she added, stressing that it is a priority to absorb the funds and turn them into “impactful products on the ground.”
European funding boosts green hydrogen plans for Italy
