At the Hydrogen Days in Pau, Terega gave an update on its pipeline projects to link Spain to France and supply the south-west of France.

The gas operator is playing at home, here in Pau. The latest news is, of course, the H2MED project, which will link Portugal to Spain. Then the Iberian peninsula will be linked to France (via the Barcelona-Marseille link), from where other links will ensure continuity with the rest of Europe. This project is scheduled to end in 2030. It will be possible to carry up to 2 million tonnes of hydrogen through the canal. Enough to cover 10% of Europe’s needs by 2030.

One of the questions that arises is how to link up with the Port-La-Nouvelle site in Occitanie, which is set to become a major hydrogen production site. A submarine link seems out of the question. One option could be to establish a route along the coast.

The pipeline projects from Terega in details

At the same time, Terega is also planning to build 600 km of pipelines to transport hydrogen in the south-west as part of the Hysow project. The aim is to supply the cities of Pau, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Port-La-Nouvelle. In order to secure the project, Terega will be launching a call for expressions of interest on its website. The objective will be two folds. First, to better define hydrogen requirements, and secondly, to find financial partners and to fine-tune the business model.

At the same time, the operator is also planning to build 600 km of pipelines to transport CO2. Another call for expressions of interest will identify companies that emit CO2. This gas could be used by industrial companies (such as cement manufacturers) who want to mix this CO2 with hydrogen to make synthetic fuels, including methanol.

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King