First European Hydrogen Valley Established in Carinthia

On February 3, 2025, the starting signal was given for Europe's first hydrogen valley with a focus on industrial applications, which will be implemented in Carinthia, Upper Austria and Styria. “The launch of the joint hydrogen valley is a milestone for our three federal states. As the industrial regions in Austria, we are particularly challenged to drive forward the decarbonization of industry. This will enable us to further strengthen our position as internationally leading regions in hydrogen research,” say Sebastian Schuschnig, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs, Markus Achleitner, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs and Research in Upper Austria, and Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs and Research in Styria.

A total of 578 million euros is to be invested in the three federal states by 2030. The EU is supporting the Hydrogen Valley with start-up funding of 20 million euros, provided that partners in the respective states sign the EU funding agreement. Currently, 43 companies from the federal states of Carinthia, Styria and Upper Austria have already signed this agreement and the EU Commission has therefore confirmed the start-up funding. “Carinthia has successfully applied to become a hydrogen region. Now we can further expand our pioneering role as a hydrogen model region, develop a regional water management system and invest in a sustainable and competitive location,” says Schuschnig

Thanks to its favorable strategic location along the pipeline from northern Italy to Vienna, Carinthia has the best prerequisites as a 'Hydrogen Valley'. “Carinthia will play a leading role in the development of the cross-provincial 'Hydrogen Valley'. We have the opportunity to become an EU-wide pilot region in the south of Austria,” says Schuschnig, who emphasizes: ”The aim is to benefit from the increased use of hydrogen in a wide range of industries for many years to come.”

The projects within the framework of the Hydrogen Valley cover the entire value chain - from the production and transportation to the storage and use of green hydrogen in a wide range of areas, from industry and transport to private households. In Carinthia, around 40 Carinthian companies from the manufacturing industry, the energy sector and mobility have already expressed their willingness to work together on this project. “The use of clean hydrogen in business, industry and mobility is becoming increasingly relevant for a sustainable and future-proof location.”

A hydrogen potential analysis for Carinthia was carried out by HyCentA GmbH back in 2020. Building on this, the “Hydrogen Roadmap 2030” was launched as a separate provincial strategy with the aim of quadrupling the use of hydrogen in industry, heavy-duty mobility and public transport in Carinthia by 2030 and starting the production of hydrogen in Carinthia. The focus is exclusively on green hydrogen produced from sustainable energy. The first hydrogen buses are already in use.