Croatia earmarks subsidies for its first hydrogen filling stations for vehicles

The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development has prepared EUR 29.6 million to subsidize the construction of hydrogen filling stations and electricity chargers for vehicles over the next three years.

The funds should enable Croatia to get its first hydrogen filling stations for cars, buses, and trucks. The plan is to install at least six units.

Out of EUR 29.6 million in total, EUR 23 million was earmarked for hydrogen filling stations and the rest is for e-chargers for vehicles, according to the ministry’s decision to roll out a subsidy program for investments in fuel supply infrastructure.

The scheme is aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy in transport and accelerating the decarbonization of the sector with electricity and hydrogen.

The maximum amount of hydrogen subsidies is EUR 2 million for filling stations for cars and EUR 3.5 million for buses and heavy-duty vehicles

The ministry said it also intends to encourage investments in the production of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and help increase the number of electric vehicles.

There is EUR 15 million for hydrogen filling units for this year and EUR 8 million for 2026. Funds for e-chargers are scheduled to be distributed in 2025.

Hydrogen filling stations should be installed by 2026, according to the decision.

Companies can get up to EUR 2 million each for hydrogen filling stations for cars and up to EUR 3.5 million for buses and heavy duty vehicles.

The locations for charging stations are still unknown

The maximum amount for e-chargers is EUR 80,000 per beneficiary.

Croatia currently has more than 870 chargers for e-vehicles.

Hydrogen filling stations must have a capacity of at least 100 kilograms and a possibility to expand it.

According to local media, the locations for hydrogen filling units will become known at the end of the subsidy procedure. But they need to be placed within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) – the highways between the capital Zagreb and the cities of Split, Varaždin and Rijeka.