This week the Power-to-X news was about who pays and who stays committed. Three European governments put more than two billion euros on the table to close the price gap for e-kerosene. In Brussels, 170 companies asked the Commission to keep binding RFNBO targets beyond 2030. And in India, the foundation stone was laid for the country’s first port-based e-methanol plant. Here is our review of the week of 21 to 28 September.
Germany, Austria and Luxembourg launch a €2.12 billion double auction for eSAF
Reported on 25 September: Germany, Austria and Luxembourg have launched a dual-auction mechanism to support the European market ramp-up of renewable electricity-based sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF). Germany will provide up to €2 billion, Austria and Luxembourg up to €60 million each. On the supply side, eSAF producers compete to offer fuel at the lowest price; on the demand side, buyers bid for supplies. An intermediary signs longer-term contracts with producers and shorter-term agreements with buyers, and public subsidies cover the remaining price gap between supply and demand. The supported volumes are to be marketed in the three countries in proportion to their contributions. (Source: pv magazine, 25 September)
170 companies urge Brussels to keep binding RFNBO targets beyond 2030
Reported on 24 September: 170 companies linked to the European energy sector sent a letter to the European Commission, addressed to President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, asking it to maintain the binding RFNBO hydrogen targets for transport and industry and to keep them beyond 2030. Changing the rules, the signatories warn, could create uncertainty for investment decisions already made. They point to more than €15 billion already committed to end-use hydrogen applications in Europe, investment up 35% over the past year and more than 4 GW of electrolysis capacity under construction. (Source: Inspenet, 24 September)
India: foundation stone for the first port-based e-methanol plant in Kandla
At Deendayal Port in Kandla, Gujarat, the foundation stone was laid for India’s first port-based e-methanol plant. The facility will produce 150 tonnes of e-methanol per day from renewable energy, water and biogenic CO2 for vessels on the Asia-Europe trade corridor. It is a joint venture of the Deendayal Port Authority (76%) and Assam Petro-Chemicals (24%) with a total investment of Rs 2,300 crore. A first 50 t/day phase is targeted for January 2027, a second 100 t/day phase for March 2027. The projected production cost is about USD 750 per tonne, against an estimated global cost of about USD 1,300; that target will need to be proven in operation. Reported on 28 September. (Source: Channeliam, 28 September)
Electrolysers: Ansaldo adds 300 MW of AEM stack capacity, Hysata opens its first manufacturing line
Ansaldo Green Tech has completed a production line for anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyser stacks in Genoa, Italy, with an annual capacity of more than 300 MW. Its modular range starts with a 1 MW containerised unit producing about 500 kg of hydrogen per day. In Australia, Hysata opened the first part of its manufacturing platform, HysataFab, at its Port Kembla headquarters; the electrode line opened on Friday 18 September, according to RenewEconomy. AI is used to monitor the process and make improvements, and additional investment is expected to expand the factory to 200 megawatts of capacity. The federal government is contributing $49 million through ARENA’s Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund. (Sources: pv magazine, 25 September, RenewEconomy, 18 September)
Briefly noted
- AfDB backs four African projects with $20 million. The African Development Bank will provide reimbursable grants to Egypt’s Ra project, Morocco’s Guelmim Green Hydrogen Valley, Namibia’s Hyphen project and South Africa’s Saldanha Hydrogen DRI project, which together represent an estimated $23 billion in investment and about 7 GW of electrolyser capacity. (pv magazine, 25 September)
- India tenders green ammonia for Maharashtra. On 25 September the Solar Energy Corporation of India issued a request for selection for 54,000 tonnes per year of green ammonia, to be supplied to Madhya Bharat Agro Products in Dhule, Maharashtra, under Tranche II of the SIGHT programme, with cost-based competitive bidding. (Renewable Watch, 25 September)
- Maruti Suzuki commissions a 300 kW electrolyser. The carmaker has commissioned a pilot green hydrogen plant at its Manesar facility, powered by surplus solar power that would otherwise go unused on holidays; the hydrogen is blended with natural gas and used as process fuel. Reported 24 September. (Business Today, 24 September)
- Uniper sells its OPAL stake to Hy24. Uniper is selling its 20% stake in the 470 km OPAL pipeline from Lubmin to Brandov to Hy24’s Clean Hydrogen Infrastructure Fund. (Power-to-X.com ticker, 25 September)
- Finland: Cefmof invests €1.5 million in Reduciner. Reduciner’s technology converts CO2 into synthesis gas that can be processed with renewable hydrogen; the partners will launch a joint project in Jyväskylä. (Power-to-X.com ticker, 25 September)
- Stuttgart opens a second Wave-H2 site. The University of Stuttgart has opened the second Wave-H2 site in Freudenstadt, which allows industrial-scale testing, with around €36 million in federal funding. (Power-to-X.com ticker, 25 September)
What it means for Power-to-X
This week’s two European stories are about public support and regulatory demand: the eSAF double auction uses public money to cover a price gap between producers and buyers, while the RFNBO targets are what 170 companies want kept in place for investment decisions already made. India, meanwhile, shows another route: a port authority and a petrochemical company building the first plant themselves. For Switzerland, the question is which of these instruments, if any, it will use for renewable fuels.
🤖 AI transparency: This text and its visual were created using AI, reviewed and approved by a human.
Power-to-X Congress Switzerland 2026 — «Reality Check with Net Zero». Missed the congress on 22 September at the Kursaal Bern, co-organised by energie-cluster.ch and SPIN with partner Réseau H2 Suisse Romande? Read our recap →