Green Hydrogen Fund

Investment grants reduce the overall cost of a project. GHF Investments Grants are dedicated to specific projects for specific purposes, which include the purchase of equipment, facilities, securities, and services, and are typically blended with financing from Development Finance Institutions such as the EIB.

Through investment grants, the GHF assists renewable hydrogen projects to attain financial viability, by reducing the cost of renewable hydrogen and its derivative products to levels competitive with alternatives already available in the market.

Technical Assistance from the fund supports green hydrogen projects in their preparatory phase through:

• institutional capacity building,

• pre-feasibility studies, feasibility studies, finance facilitation activities and/or proof of concept pilots,

• upstream (diagnostic) studies, or other related advisory services, including policy.

Under the GHF, Technical Assistance activities are foreseen to support projects achieving bankability and prepare and evaluate investment grants.

Activities that address the renewable hydrogen value chain, including the industrial sector, focusing on those industries and their supply chains in which there is deemed to be sufficient demand as well as potential for decarbonisation through renewable hydrogen and its derivatives.

In order to promote the development and of viable and comprehensive value chains, any project which contributes to the production and adoption of renewable hydrogen and/or its derivative products, may be supported by the Fund (non-exhaustive list):

• projects to generate renewable electricity, when the power is linked to the hydrogen production project,
• projects to provide water suitable for electrolysis, including desalination of seawater, when the water is linked to the hydrogen production project,
• projects to manufacture, install and/or operate electrolysis of water meeting the relevant standards for renewable hydrogen,
• projects to produce, store, transport and/or distribute renewable hydrogen and/or its derivative products, and
• projects to rehabilitate, upgrade and/or replace equipment and/or facilities permitting the use of renewable hydrogen and/or its derivative products.

In addition, such projects should:

• be deemed technically feasible, financially viable and economically justifiable,
• intend to produce and certify renewable hydrogen in accordance with relevant EU standards,
• meet EIB’s relevant standards, supported projects follow the EIB project cycle,
• foresee complete or partial export to European countries, including the European Economic Area (EEA),
• have European companies, including from the EEA, involved in their value chain,
• be (partially) comprised of associated infrastructure, such as infrastructure related to accessibility,
• comply with EU State aid rules, as applicable,
• achieve a minimum of three times leverage ratio.

The Green Hydrogen Fund may provide financial and advisory support to the following regions: 

• Americas and the Caribbean
• Asia and the Pacific
• Central Asia
• EU’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Western Balkans