New Publication: Progress Report on the Hydrogen Ramp-Up in Bavaria
24 June 2026
MUNICH – At the general assembly of the Hydrogen Alliance Bavaria, the Hydrogen Center Bavaria (H2.B) handed over the Progress Report on the Hydrogen Ramp-Up in Bavaria to the Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, Hubert Aiwanger.
The progress addresses current political and economic developments as well as the status of ongoing initiatives and projects in Bavaria, and outlines measures to achieve the objectives of Hydrogen Strategy 2.0, published in 2024 by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. It was drawn up by H2.B through a multi-stage stakeholder process in collaboration with stakeholders from industry, academia and associations.
The report provides an overview of the progress made by hydrogen initiatives and projects in Bavaria. It shows: The roll-out of the hydrogen economy in Bavaria is well under way. Bavaria is well placed to take a leading role in the hydrogen sector. Key factors include, in particular, its strong industrial base, an efficient and highly innovative research and development landscape, numerous dedicated regional initiatives. Additionally, the H2.B and the Hydrogen Alliance Bavaria provide a nationally and internationally established platform for the Bavarian hydrogen ecosystem.
However, the report also shows that since 2022, the roll-out of hydrogen has been progressing more slowly than originally anticipated within a complex and dynamic market and regulatory environment. The main causes are, in particular, high costs, uncertainties regarding the economic and legal framework, significant regulatory hurdles, delays in infrastructure development and as a result a limited demand to date.
Dr Fabian Pfaffenberger, Managing Director of H2.B: “Bavaria is on its way: numerous projects are already demonstrating how committed local authorities, companies, research institutions and initiatives are to the production, infrastructure and application of hydrogen. For this to develop into a sustainable ramp-up, we now need reliable framework conditions, efficient infrastructure, economic incentives and stronger integration of production, storage, transport and demand.”
Bavaria’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Hubert Aiwanger, thanked the H2.B for its valuable work in establishing and ramping up the hydrogen economy. He emphasised: “Hydrogen is key to the future of our industrial base. We need it in many areas, and it helps to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels from just a few regions of the world. After all, hydrogen can be sourced from many regions and also produced here in Germany and Europe. Bavaria set the right course early on and has positioned itself as a hydrogen hub.”
The handover of the progress report underlines the importance of ongoing dialogue between politics, business and academia in order to further improve the framework conditions for the roll-out of hydrogen in Bavaria and to successfully shape the transition to a climate-neutral energy supply.
The progress report is available via the following link (German with English executive summary): www.h2.bayern/dl-fortschrittsbericht
