AaaS — EU Hydrogen Bank (Spain)

AaaS EU Hydrogen Bank — Spain

Funds renewable hydrogen production and maritime aviation fuel through production premium auctions.

The AaaS EU Hydrogen Bank — Spain 2027 scheme, administered by IDAE, provides €426.4 million in direct grants authorized under European Commission State Aid decision SA.121244, approved on 12 March 2026. The scheme operates as an Auctions-as-a-Service (AaaS) premium: successful bidders receive a per-kilogram production premium bridging the cost gap between renewable hydrogen and fossil hydrogen over a fixed production period, rather than an upfront capital subsidy. The EC authorization runs until 19 February 2027, setting a firm outer boundary for the scheme's operation.

Spain committed €278.6 million to Topic 1 (RFNBO — Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin production) and €136.4 million to Topic 3 (maritime and aviation RFNBO supply), totaling €415 million across the two hydrogen topics. Spain additionally contributed €50 million to the first EU industrial heat decarbonization auction under the same AaaS framework, bringing La Moncloa's announced total to €465 million. Eligible applicants are for-profit companies operating or investing in Spain; the project must produce or supply renewable hydrogen or RFNBO for qualifying maritime, aviation, or industrial heat applications. Applications are submitted through the European Commission's Innovation Fund / Hydrogen Bank portal, not through IDAE's national portal directly.

This instrument is a competitive auction: Spain's allocated premium budget is divided among the best bids received, ranked by requested premium per kilogram of hydrogen produced. Winning projects must meet the EU delegated act definition of RFNBO — additionality, temporal and geographic correlation for renewable electricity sourcing — to qualify for payment. Companies preparing bids should study both the EC Hydrogen Bank call documentation and the Spanish State Aid authorization conditions. IDAE coordinates national participation but the primary eligibility and process rules are set at EU level.