It ended with 58 offers the third auction of the European Hydrogen Bank, whose deadlines expired on 19 February.
This was written by the European Commission on the page dedicated to the IF25 Hydrogen Auction, whose total budget was EUR 1.3 billion, of which EUR 600 million was for the production of RFNBO (renewable fuels of non-biological origin) hydrogen, EUR 400 million for the production of RFNBO and/or low-carbon hydrogen, and EUR 300 million for the production of RFNBO and/or low-carbon hydrogen for applications in the maritime and aviation sectors.
As Brussels further specifies, the evaluation of the offers will take place between next May and June, while the signing of the ‘grant agreements’ should take place between September and November 2026.
The number of bidders shows a decline compared to previous auctions: for the first one, which closed in February 2024, as many as 132 bids were received, while for the second one – closed in February 2025 – the number had already more than halved to 61, and finally for this last one, the number of bidders dropped even further, albeit slightly.
Meanwhile, the Commission also announced that it had approved, under European state aid rules, the measure developed by the Spanish government to allocate EUR 400 million to green RFNBO hydrogen production projects in Spain, through the ‘auction-as-a-service’ mechanism’ made available by the European Hydrogen Bank.
Spain estimates that this measure will support the construction of up to 382 MW of electrolysis capacity, incentivising the production of up to 243,800 tonnes of renewable hydrogen, with an expected emission reduction of up to 1,790,000 tonnes of CO₂.
The scheme will also help Spain reach its national target of installing 12 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030, as well as the targets for the share of RFNBO (renewable fuels of non-biological origin) consumed in transport and industry set by the RED III Directive.
