With immediate effect, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is supporting the development of renewable fuels with funding totalling 640 million euros.

The focus of the new funding guideline for measures to develop renewable fuels is on:

  • Application-oriented projects to achieve the necessary technological market maturity of electricity-based fuels or the market ramp-up of advanced biofuels
  • Integrated projects within the fuel production process: The aim is to leverage optimisation and efficiency potentials and thus achieve cost reductions in the production of innovative fuels
  • Innovation clusters and innovation support services to assist in the networking and monitoring of development activities and the certification of pioneering processes for the production of alternative fuels

 

Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Managing Director NOW GmbH: “Renewable fuels are a key element to enable climate neutrality in all modes of transport. To achieve the targeted CO2 savings in transport, we need several million tonnes of climate-neutral fuel by 2030 – for the roads, for aviation and for shipping. Since electricity-based fuels are not yet produced in marketable quantities, we must actively help shape the market ramp-up here. NOW GmbH is supporting the BMVI in developing the content of the funding support scheme and implementing the associated funding guidelines.”

Technologies for the production of sustainable renewable fuels will cover an important market segment across all modes of transport in the medium to long term. To achieve this, the current technological leadership must be extended and Germany needs to be strengthened as a business location. Research institutions, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industry players can apply for funding for the application-oriented (further) development of necessary technology solutions.

The funding guideline is part of a comprehensive overall funding concept for technology-open support of electricity-based fuels and advanced biofuels. A development platform for power-to-liquid fuels is also to be established as a research infrastructure. In addition, further funding guidelines are being developed to support the market ramp-up of renewable fuels. Approximately 1.5 billion euros are available for the entire funding scheme as part of the implementation of the Climate Protection Programme 2030 and the National Hydrogen Strategy for the period 2021 to 2024, of which approximately 640 million euros are to be channelled into research and development measures.

More information is also available on the funding programme page.