In a statement the EU executive states that approved, "under EU rules on state aid, an important project of common European interest to support research and innovation, as well as the first industrial deployment and the construction of relevant infrastructure in the hydrogen value chain," considering that the initiative is "in accordance" with EU standards.

Called IPCEI Hy2Use, the project involves Portugal, but also Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovakia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.

In the case of Portugal, in question is the construction of infrastructure for hydrogen, which will be the responsibility of the Portuguese group in the chemical industry sector Bondalti, according to Brussels, which does not give funds or more details.

Altogether, it is expected that Member States provide up to 5.2 billion euros of public funding to unlock an additional seven billion euros in private investment.

The initiative involves 35 projects from 29 companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, active in one or more member states, and the direct participants will cooperate closely with each other as well as with more than 160 external partners, such as universities and research bodies from across the EU.