In 2024, CEF Energy expanded its support to include hydrogen infrastructure, marking a major step in developing the necessary European hydrogen networks for advancing the EU’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The programme is co-financing 20 hydrogen actions with a total of €246 million. This first wave of actions focuses on preparatory studies that will help shape key infrastructure across Europe, including pipelines, storage facilities, and hydrogen production sites. The goal is to enable the large-scale transport and use of renewable hydrogen throughout the EU in line with the needs of hard-to-abate sectors.
So far, the supported actions aim to develop or retrofit 13,467 km of hydrogen-dedicated pipelines, build up to 4.6 GW of electrolyser capacity, and establish a hydrogen transmission capacity of 24 million tonnes per year. These investments will help create a future-ready hydrogen backbone for Europe, foster cross-border cooperation, and accelerate the decarbonisation of key sectors such as industry and transport.
CEF supports five interlinked studies in this corridor which aim to pave the ground for a strategic hydrogen transmission corridor connecting the Iberian Peninsula with key industrial hubs in France and Germany. By supporting technical, engineering and feasibility studies, CEF Energy is helping to accelerate the development of cross-border H2 infrastructure that will enable the large-scale transport of renewable hydrogen across Western Europe. The envisaged H2 transmission capacity ranges from 0.75 Mt H2/ year (interconnection PT-ES between Celorico and Zamora) to 2 Mt H2/ year in the BarMar connection ES-FR and HyFen pipeline towards Germany.
Once completed, the studies will allow entering the next stages in the implementation of the projects, aiming to reach a final investment decision for undertaking construction works. This H2 transmission corridor will allow exporting green H2 produced with renewable energy in Portugal and Spain for off-takers along its route, becoming a key enabler of Europe's decarbonisation goals and an integrated hydrogen market in South-West Europe.
EU contribution: €86 million
The project aims to create a dedicated hydrogen pipeline network that will connect production sites and import terminals with industrial demand centres in Italy and neighbouring countries. The Italian H2 Backbone covers approximately 1,920 km of pipelines (more than 60% repurposed from existing infrastructure), stretching from Mazara in Sicily to the northern border with Austria, forming a key part of Europe's emerging hydrogen network. Once operational, the system will allow the import of 4.4 million tonnes of hydrogen per year at the Mazara entry point and up to 1.7 million tonnes from Austria, while also allowing for H2 exports to Austria of up to 1.7 Mt/y.
CEF Energy is supporting a series of feasibility, environmental studies, and field activities for new and repurposed pipelines and compressor stations. The results from the studies will establish a solid foundation for the subsequent permitting process, enabling the timely development of the Italian H2 Backbone contributing to the creation of a hydrogen market in Italy.
EU contribution: €24 million