December 04, 2025 [Fuel Cells Works]- The Vice-President of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge today announced a new participation of Spain in the European mechanism of auctions as a service (AaaS) of the Innovation Fund activated by the European Hydrogen Bank to facilitate the deployment of this strategic vector in the EU and participating countries as a whole.

The Spanish contribution will be on this occasion of 415 million euros to finance new national projects for the production and use of renewable hydrogen. In addition, Spain also joins the AaaS scheme within the first European industrial heat auction, with a voluntary contribution of 50 million that will finance initiatives for the decarbonization of thermal processes in the industry.

“I want to take the opportunity to announce the contribution of 415 million to strengthen the third auction of the Hydrogen Bank. With this contribution we have reached the figure of 3.155 million for hydrogen to become a reality. Ten years ago talking about hydrogen seemed like it was talking about something in the lab or something still in R&D. And now, however, we are seeing that there are real projects that reach all parts of the territory and that also give a response that is necessary to achieve decarbonization in our country” said today during the closing of the meeting of the Q-Zero Alliance.

With the Spanish participation in the renewable H2 AaaS it is expected to achieve the objective of granting 100% of the funds for the promotion of this vector assigned to the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR). This will be the second Spanish contribution, after participation in 2024 with a budget of 376.9 million.

In the case of the industrial heat auction, the first of this nature launched by the European Commission, the Spanish involvement seeks to support industrial heat electrification projects (heat pumps, resistive heating, plasma…), direct renewable heat (solar thermal or geothermal solutions), or hybrids combining electrification and renewable heat. They are different types that are already being promoted through help lines within the PERTE ERHA and the PERTE Industrial Decarbonization.

Distribution of funds

Spain’s new contribution to the European Hydrogen Bank’s AaaS will be distributed in two of the three baskets or topics contemplated in the Terms and Conditions of the third auction of the European Hydrogen Bank. 278.6 million will be allocated to the Topic #1 (non-biological renewable hydrogen production, RFNBO) and 136.4 million to Topic #3 (support the production of RFNBO hydrogen limited to projects that supply the maritime and aviation sector with RFNBO).

Regarding the maximum aid per project presented, the limit will be the national budget available for each topic. In the event that the budget of one of the two topics was not awarded in full, the budget transfer between the two is contemplated at the national level.