Business Trip to Germany: Green Hydrogen and Smart Energy

The German-Australian Chamber of Industry Commerce has partnered up with Germany Trade and Invest and Energiewächter GmbH to offer a special inbound delegation trip through the 3 lignite mining regions of the Federal Republic of Germany engaged in the phase-out of coal.

From the 7^th to the 11^th of October 2024, key Australian energy stakeholders are invited to visit hydrogen, battery, eFuel and new Energy technology locations in the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg.

The locations visited on the trip will be:

• Brainergy Park, Living Lab for new energy systems, Jülich
• Synhelion – Concentrated solar power for renewable fuel production, Jülich
• Aachen University for Applied Sciences, Research plant on sector coupling, Jülich
• WILO SE – Operational climate-neutral production facility & hydrogen plant, Dortmund
• Dow ValuePark in Schkopau/Leipzig
• Chemical Park, Leuna
• Fraunhofer Hydrogen Lab Leuna (HLL)
• „H2-Village“ testing center in the chemical park of Bitterfeld-Wolfen
• Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology – Research on hydrogen manufacturing, Zittau
• Görlitz Innovation Campus from SIEMENS
• A former lignite mine in rehabilitation and flooding process, Cottbus
• PtX Lab Lausitz
• Hydrogen Research Center at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus – Senftenberg (BTU)

Additionally, throughout this week there will be numerous opportunities to meet and talk with experts and local stakeholders from the renewables & energy, chemical, steel and automotive industries.

The full schedule can be found here and registrations are open until the 7^th of September via this website.

Costs

This trip is funded by Germany Trade & Invest and successful applicants will be covered for:

• Transfers within Germany (bus transfers during the delegation trip, including the transfer to Berlin airport on last day)
• Hotel accomodation for one representative
• Meals on special events (e.g. networking event) and upon invitation of partners

Participants will be required to cover the costs of:

• Personal travel expenses (e.g. accomodation and travel costs before or after the business trip)
• Expenses for lunch & dinner (max. 250 €)

Germany’s funding and investing incentives

With initiatives like the 40-billion-euro Structural Strengthening Act for Coal Regions (StStG) phasing out coal in Germany will give companies the historic opportunity to develop new Energy projects in these regions.

The German government supports companies to open up business in Germany through various incentices, such as:

Funding scheme 1: Improving Regional Economic Structures (GRW)

• Investment support of up to 45 % is possible
• Eligible costs are capped to 750k EUR/ created long-term job
• 25% of eligible cost threshold must be financed from non-subsidized sources
• Eligible costs include new assets (building, machinery etc.), excl. purchasing costs for land/sales activities
• For large projects (>50m EUR) aid intensity reduces incrementally

Funding Scheme 2: Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF)

• Funding of up to 35 % is possible, up to 200 million €
• Incentives for the production of relevant equipment for the transition towards a nz-economy over the whole value chain (batteries , pv-moduls, heat pumps, equipment for carbon captures, electrolysers)
• Incentives for the production/ recovery of related critical raw materials required for the manufacturing of the relevant net-zero economy equipment
• Eligible costs: All investment costs in tangible assets (land, buildings, plant, equipment)/ intangible assets
• Support is granted until end of 2025

Be part of Germany's energy transition and learn how you can benefit from Germany's Energy-producing regions of the future.

Please let us know if you have any further enquiries about this exciting trip!