The Federal Cabinet adopted the draft yesterday (October 1), and it will now be passed to the Bundestag and Bundesrat for debate and approval.

Originally proposed by the previous government, the act would give hydrogen projects “overriding public interest” status until 2045, allowing legal priority for approvals.

Currently, the main regulatory shifts in Germany include fast-tracking, litigation changes, digitalisation, and pipeline conversion.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) previously said the act would “clear deadlines, comprehensive requirements for digitalisation, and simplified procurement procedures.”

H2 View understands that the act will cover the entire hydrogen supply chain, from production, import and storage to transport and pipelines, along with facilities for synthetic fuels to decarbonise shipping and aviation.

In addition to granting these projects overriding public interest status in approval decisions, the draft introduces binding deadlines, digitalised procedures, and simplified rules under the Federal Mining Act to accelerate project delivery.

The approval follows repeated calls for stronger policy support for hydrogen in Germany.

Kerstin Andreae, head of energy industry association BDEW, recently urged the government not to “miss the boat” on ramping up the hydrogen economy.

Hydrogen Europe CEO Jorgo Chatzimarkakis also said the draft law was an “enabling act” for hydrogen when the consultation was launched earlier this year.