On January 31, the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) announced that the European Commission has approved €550 million in funds that the Italian government will provide to hard-to-abate industries, such as steel, paper and glass. The funds allocated will be available until the end of 2025 and will be used to replace fossil fuels with green hydrogen.
Within the scope of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the funds will finance all the industries that had submitted a decarbonization project within the deadline of the ministry’s tender notice (June 2023).
Regarding the EC’s approval, Italian minister of the environment and energy security Gilberto Pichetto stated that this is a big step toward the energy transition.