A new round of grants that offers almost 30 million euros for hydrogen and green chemical industry innovations started almost unnoticed last month. The round has been added as a new component to the standard DEI+ scheme. This article explains which parties can apply for this grant and for which types of projects the grant is intended.
DEI+ round of grants for ‘hydrogen and green chemical industry’
DEI+ has been the most important Dutch grant scheme for carbon reduction pilot and demonstration projects for many years. The DEI+ scheme was extended on 22 June 2022 with a new component that focuses specifically on ‘hydrogen and the green chemical industry’. The scheme now offers additional grant opportunities for entrepreneurs working on hydrogen innovations or parties that are involved as end user. Like the ‘classic’ DEI+ scheme, the new grants are intended for projects in the form of a pilot or demonstration project.
For which hydrogen themes is the grant available?
The DEI+ round of grants for ‘hydrogen and green chemical industry’ focuses on three themes. To request a grant, a project must be a good match for one of these themes. These concern:
- Production of green hydrogen. This concerns hydrogen produced via a) water electrolysis from renewable electricity or via b) supercritical and thermal gasification of biogenic waste or torrefied biomass. Electrolysers connected to the electricity grid as well as electrolysers connected through a direct line to a renewable electricity generation plant are eligible.
- Transport and storage of hydrogen. The emphasis in this theme is on large-scale energy storage and/or conversion to other energy carriers and/or products. Grants are, for example, available for large-scale projects involving hydrogen storage in tanks, cylinders, salt caverns or other underground storage facilities. Filling station innovations are also conceivable (such as making compression cheaper and improvements to filling station configuration).
- Using hydrogen and green electrons. The emphasis in this theme is on large-scale applications in sectors where sustainability alternatives are few. This specifically concerns innovative applications of hydrogen as a fuel including applications in industry (e.g. for high temperature processes) or mobility (use in emission-free vehicles). Other applications that will be considered include the use of green hydrogen as chemical industry feedstock (e.g. for producing bulk chemicals, steel and synthetic kerosene), nitrogen-based chemical industry (such as for producing fertilisers and sustainable plastics) or for producing chemical semi-finished products and applications (such as car parts, packaging, paints and coatings). Finally, grants are also available for pilot systems aimed at electrochemical conversion of CO2/CO and base chemicals into fuels and chemicals (CO2/CO capture in combination with downstream integrated electrochemical conversion technology).
Important grant conditions
Projects that are a match for the above-mentioned themes are, in principle, eligible for a grant. The project must, however, meet various grant conditions. There are conditions that apply to each DEI+ project, On of them being that a project must start within six months of the grant decision (not earlier) and that a must project run for up to four years. Cooperation within a project is permitted but is not a mandatory grant condition.
There are also conditions that apply specifically to DEI+ Hydrogen projects. The sub-theme ‘Hydrogen production’ is subject to all kinds of additional conditions (including specific requirements relating to the purchase of renewable electricity, use of maximum running hours, etc.).
Grant amounts and application periods
The DEI+ ‘hydrogen and green chemical industry’ call for proposals has a grant budget of 29.4 million euros and is open for applications from 22 June 2022 until 10 January 2023 at the latest. You should be aware that the grants will be awarded by order of receipt and for as long as the budget lasts.
The grant comprises a contribution towards the project costs, which can amount to a grant of up to 15 million euros per project. For pilot projects, the grant usually reimburses 25% of the costs. Around 40% is reimbursed for demonstration projects, with the additional costs being similar to a reference investment. In both cases, increases of 10-20% are possible if small or medium-sized enterprises are involved.
What can EGEN do for you?
The EGEN experts are well-informed of the latest hydrogen developments, whether this concerns innovations, practical experiments or grant options. We would be delighted to help those working on new hydrogen innovations. If you would like to know more about our services, feel free to call us on +31 (0)88-838 13 81 or send us a message via the contact form below.
