Germany and the Netherlands have ramped up their efforts to secure long-term imports of green hydrogen and other derivatives.

Both countries are set to formally invite bids from potential EU-compliant green hydrogen suppliers across all non-EU regions of the world via a “Global Lot” auction, operated via the state-backed H2Global vehicle.

H2Global offers long-term offtake deals to hydrogen developers outside the EU, giving projects revenue certainty, which helps them to achieve FID. The hydrogen will then be auctioned off to offtakers in Germany and the Netherlands.

Germany and the Netherlands have both agreed to apply greater flexibility to the funding periods offered to suppliers, according to Hintco, the operator of H2Global. Germany plans to begin its ten-year funding period in 2032, with a budget of €300m ($353m), subject to final approval by the government. The Netherlands has set its funding period at 2028–36, although Hintco did not specify the level of funding to be made available by the Dutch government.

In a separate move, Germany has boosted the funding and contract lengths on offer via H2Global’s four regional tenders, which are focused locking in imports of green ammonia, methanol or hydrogen from Africa, Asia, North America and South America/Oceania.

Following parliament’s adoption of the federal budget for 2025 on 18 September, funding for each of the regional tenders has risen to €580m from €484m, covering a period of 2028–37.

Methanol

Separately, H2Global’s tender for EU-compliant green methanol, which was previously run as a pilot, will reopen for new applications, backed by a budget of €437.5m This allows for broader participation, including projects that were not sufficiently advanced during the pilot phase, Hintco said.

“Each stage of the H2Global process has delivered important successes, from securing long-term contracts to building global interest,” said Timo Bollerhey, CEO of Hintco. “The updates announced build on that progress. They provide predictability for RFNBO suppliers and buyers, align funding and timelines with market needs, and take us another step forward in creating and scaling the global clean hydrogen market.”

Germany’s renewed efforts to lock in imports come after the government cast fresh doubts on the country’s potential to scale-up its domestic green hydrogen production capacity in line with a government targets of 10GW by 2030. That target “appears hardly achievable given the current project pipeline”, according to research published in September by the government in a policy paper outlining plans for a re-set of its wider transition strategy. Germany’s national hydrogen strategy foresees imports covering at least 50% of the country’s future clean hydrogen demand.

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Author: Stuart Penson