The Austrian government announced a comprehensive plan to expand domestic production and imports of renewable hydrogen, a key part of its energy transition strategy. The initiative is structured around several new pieces of legislation, with two central bills. One proposes a EUR 20 million subsidy program to support the capital costs of electrolysis plants, which generate hydrogen by splitting water using electricity.

The second bill will create a national certification system for renewable hydrogen, ensuring compliance with European Union standards. The economy and energy ministry stated that certified hydrogen will be eligible for funding, internationally tradable, and credibly certified.

The bills are under review and could be enacted quickly, alongside a regulatory framework for financing hydrogen infrastructure, including pipelines and storage. Austria is also advancing the 3,300-km South2 corridor, linking North Africa to Austria and Germany via Italy, now projected to be operational by 2035. Austria aims for 1 GW of electrolytic hydrogen capacity by 2030, although officials admit the goal is unlikely to be met. The sector also faced a setback when utility Verbund and LAT Nitrogen canceled a 60 MW project in Linz, despite EU funding.