May 20, 2026 [Reuters]- The European Commission on Wednesday approved €1.3 billion ($1.5 ​billion) in German state aid ‌for the production of renewable hydrogen to cut greenhouse gas emissions ​and dependence on Russian ​fossil fuels.

• The German programme is ⁠leaning on the European ​Hydrogen Bank’s Auctions-as-a-Service, or AaaS, for ​the auction that closed in 2026, the Commission said in a ​statement.
• The approved scheme will support ​the construction of up to 1,000 ‌MW ⁠of electrolyser capacity for the production of up to 10 million metric tons of hydrogen, ​meant ​to avoid ⁠up to 55 million tons of CO2.
• The ​go-ahead comes at a ​challenging ⁠time for the green hydrogen market, with German electrolyser maker Thyssenkrupp ⁠Nucera ​warning that customers ​continue to delay investment decisions.