Hydrogen pipeline between Spain and France to be complete by 2030

The undersea pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille is to solely carry hydrogen and needs to be accomplished by 2030, leaders stated on Friday.

The H2MED undertaking, agreed upon between the leaders of France, Portugal and Spain in October, was initially meant to first carry pure fuel.

However talking following a trilateral assembly forward of a summit of EUMED leaders in Alicante, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa confirmed that the brand new hall shall be “solely devoted to inexperienced hydrogen”. 

The pipeline ought to price round €2.5 billion, in response to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and allow the transport of two million tonnes of hydrogen per 12 months.

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his half, confirmed that the three nations will submit the undertaking to the European Fee earlier than by December 15 to have it declared as a “undertaking of frequent curiosity”. This could allow it to assert as much as 50% of its price from EU funds. 

Macron additionally estimated that it needs to be accomplished by 2030.

The EU has made hydrogen the cornerstone of its technique to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 with the share of hydrogen within the bloc’s vitality combine seen reaching as much as 20% by mid-century. 

It has additionally responded to Russia’s warfare in Ukraine by unveiling a €210 billion plan, known as RePowerEU, to hurry up the vitality transition, diversify vitality provides and increase connections between member states. 

“The Russian warfare towards Ukraine has made it fairly clear that we have to reinforce our vitality safety in Europe. Clearly, this safety entails rising our capacity to supply vitality with out counting on third events. And likewise, even when we’re compelled to import some vitality, it is necessary to drive diversify the sources and routes taken by vitality imports. The extra diversification, the much less dependency we can have,” Costa instructed reporters. 

Additionally current on the assembly in Alicante, European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen stated the H2MED undertaking “goes in the correct course” because it “has the potential to assist us construct an actual European hydrogen spine.”

“We are going to produce ten million tonnes of renewable hydrogen within the EU by 2030 and we plan to import as well as one other 10 million tonnes. Hydrogen that should attain our business. Because of this we additionally recognized a collection of strategic corridors together with one crossing Europe from West to East, through the Iberian Peninsula.”

“Because of this immediately I warmly welcome this settlement between France, Spain and Portugal,” she stated. 

Portugal at present produces the most reasonably priced renewable hydrogen within the EU, in response to a report by Hydrogen Europe, which additionally estimated that decarbonisation with hydrogen would require $15 trillion between 2022 and 2050.