South Italy Green Hydrogen, a joint venture set up by Enel Green Power and Eni is set to receive the funding for two PEM electrolyser projects.

The joint venture intends to install a 20MW electrolyser at a biofinery in Gela, Sicily, as well as integrating a 10MW electrolyser at Eni’s refinery in Taranto, Apulia, in a bid to decarbonise operations at the two sites.

Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power, said, “We are proud that these projects have been shortlisted by the European Union as part of the prestigious IPCEI Hy2Use.

“The two initiatives, in collaboration with Eni, represent an important step for the construction of utility-scale electrolysis facilities, allowing us to test and accelerate the development of the entire supply chain for the production of green hydrogen in Europe.”

On September 22, the European Commission approved up to €5.2bn of public support for its Important Project of European Interest (IPCEI) Hy2Use, which hopes to unlock an additional €7bn in private investments to develop the hydrogen value chain.

Read more: European Commission approves €5.2bn of public support for IPCEI Hy2Use programme

Giuseppe Ricci, Chief Operating Officer of Energy Evolution at Eni, commented, “In order to tackle the challenges of energy transition as effectively as possible in such diverse and complex economies and industries, it is essential to use all available technologies to decarbonise the many different emissions sources.

“Hydrogen is one of the many paths that Eni is taking, and we are very pleased that these projects with Enel were shortlisted by the European Union as part of IPCEI Hy2Use, which is such an important EU project.”