On October 19, decision-makers from France, Spain and Portugal gathered at the Spanish Embassy in Berlin. Representatives of the five transmission system operators (TSO)* involved in the H2MED project signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Our most regular readers will no doubt remember that an MoU was already signed in December 2022 (read our article). The partners are now welcoming a new member on board the H2MED project. It is OGE, a company with an extensive pipeline network in Germany and Europe (12,000 km).

The H2MED project will be the first major green corridor linking the Iberian Peninsula to north-western Europe, enabling renewable hydrogen to be transported from production areas to areas of high consumption, notably via the associated national hydrogen infrastructures.

It will have the capacity to transport up to 2 million tonnes per year of renewable hydrogen, which will represent 10% of Europe’s projected consumption by that date, according to REPowerEU. H2MED will have two interconnections: one on land and one underwater. The first will be between Portugal and Spain (Celórico da Beira-Zamora) and the second between Spain and France (Barcelona-Marseille).

The signing was also an opportunity to explain how the H2MED project is an example of European cooperation in the field of energy and to stress the importance of regional cooperation. Various speakers also pointed out that this European transport network will make it possible to transport cheap, low-carbon hydrogen, a molecule needed to decarbonise industry and mobility.

*These are the TSOs Enagás (Spain), GRTgaz and Teréga (France), REN (Portugal) and Open Grid Europe (OGE) in Germany.

H2Med project: an example of European energy cooperation

Following the signing, a discussion* was held on H2MED and how to speed up its implementation.

Dr. Arturo Gonzalo pointed out that since the invasion of Ukraine, Europe has accelerated its response to two challenges simultaneously: security of supply and decarbonisation. In the H2MED project, these are “two sides of the same coin.” He stressed that to make REPowerEU a reality, H2MED must become a reality. As for Rodrigo Costa, he highlighted the challenges to overcome. In particular, the fact that not all European countries are on the same page. Yet, a clear, shared vision is essential for the future.

Dominique Mockly argued that local ecosystems and hydrogen valleys are a good start, but that Europe also needs to build a reliable European network. And that is precisely the role of H2MED. He also stressed the importance of production, hence the relevance of the recent CEI** launched by Terega. This is an opportunity for him to remind us of the projects supported by the French government: Bar-Mar and HySoW. The latter, initiated by Terega, plans to set up an infrastructure dedicated to the transport and storage of hydrogen. It will be located in the South-West of France.

Finally, Thierry Trouvé turns to Germany. According to him, OGE joining the group is a very important event for two reasons. Firstly, Germany will be at the heart of the European hydrogen network, and secondly, GRTGaz and OGE are long-standing partners.

In any case, OGE’s support is a reminder of H2MED’s essential role in achieving the objectives of the European REPowerEU plan.

*Rodrigo Costa, CEO of REN; Dr. Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of Enagás; Dominique Mockly, CEO of Terega; Thierry Trouvé, CEO of GRTGaz and Dr. Frank Reiners, CFO of OGE, took part in this discussion.

**CEI: Call for Expressions of Interest