EU Recognises Bremen Nine Million Euros for Germany’s First “Hydrogen Valley”
A major success for Bremen: the EU is funding the “H2B:IMPACT” project with nine million euros to establish a so-called “Hydrogen Valley” in the federal state – a model region in which hydrogen is used across the entire value chain. The funding agreement was signed on 23 March 2026 by the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation, along with the EU funding organisation Clean Hydrogen Partnership. With this, Bremen prevails over numerous competitors from across Europe and becomes the first EU-funded region of this kind in Germany.
A “Hydrogen Valley” means that hydrogen is not only produced, but also stored, distributed and actively used – for example in industry, ports, transport and the construction sector. That is precisely what is to be implemented in Bremen and Bremerhaven. Applications are planned in the port, in industry, in the construction sector and in mobility, all of which will be tested in real-world operation for at least two years.
Economic Senator Kristina Vogt:
This funding brings us a decisive step forward, because we can now concretely implement key hydrogen applications. In the ports, in mobility and industry, this will create new projects, additional value creation and, in the long term, jobs in Bremen and Bremerhaven. At the same time, we are strengthening the competitiveness of our industrial location and making it fit for a climate-friendly future.
A total of 27 partners from Bremen, Germany and other EU countries will benefit from the funding. The project has already launched and runs over five years. Initial applications are to be implemented step by step in the coming years. The project is led by the Bremen Economic Authority, supported among others by the Bremen Institute for Shipping Economics and Logistics and the New Energy Coalition from Groningen.
One of the partners is the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES. Kevin Schalk, Head of the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven, says: “For hydrogen to work, it is not enough just to be able to produce it – everything around it also needs to be right, from the technical level to regulations and logistics. We have already built a very solid foundation here in the Bremen/Bremerhaven region and are pleased that this project will allow the networking of existing structures, and thus the economic maturity of hydrogen in the region, to take a major step forward.”
The achievement is remarkable by European standards. A total of 18 applications were submitted for so-called “Small-Scale Hydrogen Valleys” projects, but only two were selected for funding. Bremen thus joins an exclusive circle of model regions in Europe. The key to success was above all the holistic approach: the project application covers the entire hydrogen value chain and connects applications in industry, ports and mobility with a clear implementation strategy.
The EU funding is more than just financial support. It serves as a quality seal and strengthens Bremen’s role as an important location for the hydrogen economy. The goal is to transition the developed applications into regular operation in the long term and to make them available as a model for other regions. Andreas Wellbrock, Managing Director of Green Fuels GmbH and project partner, says: “The lighthouse projects already in place to build a functioning hydrogen economy are now being excellently complemented, and the pioneering role of Bremen and Bremerhaven gains further momentum.”
Pressekontakt
Christoph Sonnenberg
Pressesprecher
Tel.: +49 421 361 82909
christoph.sonnenberg@wht.bremen.de
Image source: © WFB / Jann Raveling