Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg unveil EUR-1bn hydrogen alliance

The southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg have set up an alliance to drive the development of a hydrogen economy in the region and strengthen their position as centres for hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

The two states will provide up to EUR 500 million (USD 501.7m) each to back research and development (R&D) projects and support the ramp-up of a hydrogen economy in the next few years.

With the alliance, Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg seek to promote joint projects in the area of manufacturing technologies for electrolyser components and examine a further expansion of their cooperation for the development of a trans-regional hydrogen filling station network.

In addition, the two states aim to enhance the cooperation between the Hydrogen.Bavaria Centre (H2B) and the H2BW hydrogen platform in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

The alliance was presented at a conference on Monday, where the prime ministers of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg Markus Soeder and Winfried Kretschmann highlighted the importance of hydrogen produced from renewable energy as the energy source of the future.

Hydrogen must be supplied to the places where it is most needed which include industrial centres such as Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg and that is why the two states have joined forces, Kretschmann commented.

The two prime ministers called also for the creation of a national and European hydrogen network and the connection of industrial locations like the two states to the network by 2030 at the latest. They also noted that new direct pipelines connecting Germany's south with Italy should be included in the network planning.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.003)

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