Germany signs off on EUR 12 mn hydrogen pilot project in Algeria: Algeria and Germany have signed a contract to jointly develop a EUR 12 mn 50 MW green hydrogen project in Algeria, according to a statement.

What we know: The German Development Bank KfW will be extending a portion of the financing for the project, the statement notes. It is unclear whether this is the same 50 MW project Sonatrach and VNG AG agreed to conduct feasibility studies for back in December.

More in the pipeline: Sonatrach — which aims to develop 15 GW of renewables capacity by 2035 to meet national climate targets — and VNG AG also want to expand cooperation on hydrogen-focused knowledge-transfer programs and development projects, Arkab noted in an earlier separate statement.

On the hunt for funds: Algeria — which said in May that it will allocate USD 20-25 bn to boost its green hydrogen production capacity — has been seeking investment and development avenues in the hydrogen sector with Exxon, Chevron, and Eni. The country was recently axed by Spain from the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB), which aims to transport green hydrogen from North Africa to Europe. Despite diplomatic tensions with Madrid, Algeria is exploring a separate hydrogen interconnector to the EU with Italy.