€370 Million Boost for Puglia’s 160 MW Green Hydrogen Valley Project under European Hy2Infra Initiative

The European Commission has endorsed the “Puglia Green Hydrogen Valley” project with significant financial backing, embedding it within the Hy2Infra scheme, an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) designed to bolster hydrogen infrastructure across Europe. With a substantial allocation of up to 370 million euros in funds, this project stands out among the 33 initiatives under Hy2Infra, highlighting its strategic significance and viability for large-scale green hydrogen production.

The initiative, which is a collaborative effort involving Edison, Sosteneo, and Saipem, aims to construct two green hydrogen plants in Brindisi and Taranto, Italy. These facilities, boasting a total electrolysis capacity of 160 MW, are expected to generate approximately 250 million cubic meters of green hydrogen annually. This venture is a testament to European cooperation in achieving decarbonization goals, particularly in the industrial sector, and is one of the first of its kind in Europe for green hydrogen production at such a scale.

Giovanni Brianza, CEO of Edison Next, emphasized the collaborative spirit of the IPCEIs, underlining the project’s role in advancing the decarbonization agenda for Italy and specifically the Puglia region. Similarly, Sosteneo’s executives, Umberto Tamburrino and Federica Gallina, acknowledged the European Union’s recognition of the project’s strategic importance within the IPCEI Hy2Infra financing framework. They highlighted the initiative’s potential to drive the development of the green hydrogen production supply chain in Europe.

Fabrizio Botta of Saipem lauded the project’s selection within the IPCEI Hy2Infra as a significant acknowledgment of its strategic value at both Italian and European levels. The project aligns with the broader aims of Hy2Infra, which includes 33 projects across seven member states, with total public funding of €6.9 billion expected to unlock an additional €5.4 billion in private investments.

The “Puglia Green Hydrogen Valley” project, recently joined by Sosteneo SGR SpA, part of the Generali Investments ecosystem, is seen as a strategic move by the Puglia Region towards achieving ambitious energy transition goals. This initiative, together with a related hydrogen transport pipeline project by Snam, represents a significant step forward in the region’s industrial decarbonization efforts, particularly in its steelmaking sector.