Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) has awarded €126.4 million in state support to two renewable hydrogen projects after they missed out on funding in the oversubscribed European Hydrogen Bank auction. The awards, made under the national auction-as-a-service (AaaS) scheme, fund a combined 160 MW of electrolyser capacity: Orange.Bat (100 MW) in Castellón, receiving about €82.5 million, and eM Numancia (60 MW) in Soria, granted roughly €43.9 million. 

Both projects had been preselected by the European Commission in the EHB’s second general auction but did not receive EU backing because the EHB budget was exhausted. Spain’s AaaS scheme effectively channels national funds to support projects that score highly in EU selection but remained unfunded, offering a fixed premium per kilogramme of RFNBO hydrogen for up to ten years once operational. 

The move underscores Spain’s drive to secure domestic hydrogen capacity and maintain momentum in project development despite limited EU auction budgets. Developers say the awards improve project bankability and keep construction timetables on track.

Source

https://strategicenergy.eu/spain-accelerates-green-hydrogen-production-with-e126-million-in-its-first-national-auction/