Spain, France and Portugal clinch deal on green hydrogen pipeline
The governments of Spain, France and Portugal have agreed to transport green hydrogen through an underwater pipeline that will run between Barcelona and Marseille.
PHOTO: Panoramic view of Marseille port in France. Getty Images
The project, dubbed H2Med, is a part of a green energy corridor that will connect Spain, Portugal and France to the EU's energy network.
The project will make the Iberian Peninsula one of Europe's major energy hubs and can “link up with hydrogen supply from the entire Mediterranean region," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says.
This will support Europe’s energy transition goals as the continent seeks to produce 10 million mt/year of green hydrogen and import an additional 10 million mt by 2030, she adds.
The Iberian Peninsula has access to abundant solar and wind power, which would make green hydrogen production more competitive, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa says.
“We are establishing hydrogen partnerships with the Mediterranean countries – we have one with Egypt already, we are now discussing one with Morocco,” von der Leyen says.
The latest pipeline project will help to build “a real European hydrogen backbone," she says, adding that the project partners will be eligible to secure financial support from the EU.
According to a Reuters report, the pipeline will have a capacity of 2 million mt/year and be ready by the end of this decade.
The announcement came on Friday during a summit of Mediterranean EU leaders. This comes amid growing energy crisis in Europe caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has accelerated European plans to deploy renewable energy and look away from Russian fossil energy.
Some European energy firms have also joined efforts to establish green hydrogen corridors for shipping. In October, Spanish oil company Cepsa announced a collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam to create a green hydrogen corridor between the ports of Rotterdam and Algeciras by 2027.
By Shilpa Sharma
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