On 17 November 2025, the European Commission announced the approval of 70 projects receiving more than €600 million in EU funding to deploy alternative fuels infrastructure across road, maritime, aviation, urban mobility, and logistics systems.These investments support the objectives of Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR), the ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime regulations, and contribute to the wider transition toward zero-emission transport across the TEN-T network.

The selected projects cover 24 EU countries, deploying thousands of new charging and refuelling points, expanding Onshore Power Supply (OPS) systems in major ports, electrifying airport operations, and scaling hydrogen refuelling.

This article provides an EAFO analysis of the project portfolio based on the published project list. 

1. Overview of Funded Technologies and Sectors

1.1 Road Transport Electrification

Road transport continues to receive the largest share of AFIF support. Key road-sector outcomes include:

• Over 3,000 high-power recharging points for LDV and HDV combined
• Significant deployment of Megawatt Charging System (MCS) sites in Germany, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain
• Establishment of cross-border HDV corridors connecting major TEN-T axes
• Large-scale pan-European networks (e.g. Milence, Voltix, TotalEnergies, Electra, Zunder)

Representative projects:

• VARO HERCULES (NL/DE): 548 HDV recharging points across 76 sites
• Milence Infrastructure (AT, BE, DE, ES, FR, NL, SE): 100 MCS + 64 CCS points across 25 sites
• ENGIE DRIVE (FR/DE/ES/BE): 135 HDV recharging points
• OMV Pan-European HDV network (AT/LT): 242 HDV recharging points
• Plugit Finland MCS network (FI): 16 MCS chargers with battery storage

This reflects the strong push toward meeting AFIR Article 6 HDV corridor requirements by 2030.

1.2 Hydrogen Refuelling Infrastructure

Hydrogen projects represent a smaller but strategic share of the portfolio, aligned with early market development:

• 38 hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) announced in the CINEA press release
• 30 of these located in Spain (ACTIVA II)
• Additional deployments in France, Poland, Belgium and Slovenia

Selected examples:

• ACTIVA II (ES): 30 HRS across 12 zones
• Liège Hydrogen Valley (BE): 1 HRS + 15 MW electrolyser
• Valencia GH2Move (ES): 1 HRS + 5 MW electrolyser
• HyNA projects (FR): Renewable H2 for LDV/HDV transit corridors

These HRS projects maintain geographic balance across corridors and support early uptake for freight, buses and regional fleets.

1.3 Maritime: Shore Power and Green Bunkering

Significant OPS deployment continues across European ports, with both core and comprehensive TEN-T ports investing heavily:

• OPS deployment in Rotterdam (multiple terminals), Antwerp-Bruges, Zeebrugge, Tallinn, Tarragona, HamnaKotka, Hamburg, Saint-Malo, Bordeaux, Haropa (Le Havre–Rouen–Paris), and Aalborg
• Projects extend OPS to cruise, container, ro-ro, barge/feeder, and inland vessels
• Introduction of alternative maritime fuels infrastructure:
  • ZEBRA (LU): ammonia bunkering barge serving BE–NL ports (8,000–10,000 m³)

Key examples:

• ECT Powering Operations (NL): OPS at all berths of ECT Delta South + DBFT
• Rotterdam World Gateway (NL): 10 OPS connections on extended quay
• Port of Tallinn (EE): New OPS at quays 26–27
• Port of Tarragona (ES): 10–20 MVA OPS for Baleares wharf
• Port of Aarhus (DK): High-voltage OPS for large container ships

This strong OPS emphasis supports compliance with FuelEU Maritime shore-power mandates.

1.4 Aviation: Electrification of Ground Operations

AFIF projects continue to scale the electrification of airport groundside operations:

• Electrification at 16 European airports highlighted in the CINEA announcement
• Deployed technologies include:
  • Fixed and mobile GPU/eGPU units
  • Pre-Conditioned Air (PCA) systems
  • Recharging hubs for GSE fleets and airport EVs
  • Grid reinforcements and integration with PV and BESS

Key airport projects:

• Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (FR): 73 PCA units, 42 GPUs, 245 charging stations
• Agenda I & II (AT, DE, IT, SK): Multi-airport upgrades with PV and storage
• Helsinki Airport (FI): Integrated PV, battery storage, PCA, GPUs
• Malta International Airport (MT): Full electrification of 35 stands
• Budapest Airport (HU): 16 GPUs + 16 PCA units

These investments strongly support ReFuelEU Aviation requirements and airport decarbonisation strategies.

2. Geographic Distribution and Corridor Coverage

2.1 Cross-Border Corridors (TEN-T)

The call notably aligns with TEN-T priorities by creating continuous transnational corridors, especially for HDVs:

• North Sea–Baltic: DE–PL–HU, SE, FI
• Mediterranean: ES–FR–IT
• Atlantic: PT–ES–FR
• Scandinavian–Mediterranean: DK–DE–AT–IT
• Rhine–Danube: AT–CZ–SK–HU
• Western Balkans extensions (AT)

Many projects deliver multi-country networks (Electra, Zunder, Milence, Electrip, ENGIE, VOLTIX), improving interoperability and supporting AFIR continuity requirements.

3. EAFO Analysis: Key Trends Identified

3.1 Rapid Scale-Up of HDV Charging

HDV infrastructure dominates this call:

• Most HDV deployments exceed 350 kW
• Megawatt Charging Systems (1 MW+) are becoming increasingly mainstream
• Infrastructure designs integrate smart grid, load management, PV, and battery storage, showing maturity and future-proofing

This indicates the beginning of large-scale European HDV corridor build-out ahead of 2030 AFIR milestones.

3.2 Strong OPS Momentum

The maritime sector shows sustained OPS uptake:

• Top European ports (Rotterdam, Antwerp-Bruges, Hamburg) are moving toward full OPS coverage for key terminals
• Ports combine OPS with electrification of internal logistics and PV + storage, demonstrating integrated energy management approaches
• OPS projects increasingly support both maritime and inland waterway vessels

This positions the EU to meet mandatory OPS requirements under FuelEU Maritime Article 9.

3.3 Airport Electrification as a Pan-European Trend

The scale and depth of the airport projects indicate:

• Growing consolidation around electric GPUs over diesel units
• Wider deployment of PCA systems, now a standard part of decarbonised ground handling
• A shift from pilot installations to full terminal-wide electrification

Airports are increasingly integrating operations into local energy systems, reflecting the shift to smarter energy use.

3.4 Emerging Hydrogen Corridors

Hydrogen projects remain fewer in number but strategically located:

• Focus on freight corridors and regional hydrogen valleys
• Integration with electrolysers shows alignment with REPowerEU and national hydrogen strategies

Spain and France lead hydrogen deployment in this call, supported by corridor coverage in Belgium, Poland, and Slovenia.

3.5 Increased Presence of Synergetic Elements

Across projects, synergies such as PV, BESS, smart grid, and load management systems are becoming standard, indicating:

• Lower operational emissions
• Better grid integration
• Future adaptability for higher charging demand (including electric aircraft in the long term)

4. Conclusion

The second cut-off of the 2024–2025 AFIF call demonstrates strong, broad-based progress toward the EU’s zero-emission mobility framework:

• Rapid expansion of HDV corridor charging
• Significant scale-up of OPS in European ports
• Consolidation of airport electrification
• Strategic deployment of hydrogen refuelling
• Strong alignment with AFIR, ReFuelEU Aviation, and FuelEU Maritime

These 70 projects will play a crucial role in ensuring that Europe’s alternative fuels infrastructure network is continuous, interoperable, and future-proof, enabling widespread deployment of zero-emission vehicles, vessels, and aircraft ground operations across the continent.

For more information

• List of successful projects
• Call closure information: over €1 billion requested for alternative fuel supply infrastructure

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.