Spain, France and Portugal agreed to promote the first major hydrogen corridor in the European Union and later joined Germany in the initiative. A pharaonic project called H2Med that aims to be the key, with planned investments of around 2,500 million euros supporting the renewable hydrogen revolution To gradually replace natural gas in economic sectors where electrification is difficult or impossible.
Now the three countries are going one step further and, despite the conflict between Madrid and Paris in recent weeks, they have signed an alliance to create the necessary technology to transform existing natural gas networks and be able to use it to transport hydrogen in the future. Which type of hydrogen from the European Union deserves the ‘green’ label and this threatens the future of H2Med.
This Operators of gas systems in Spain (Enagás), France (GRTgaz and Teréga) and Portugal (REN) they join forces to start iGreen2TSO initiative to transform their countries from managers of gas pipeline networks (TSO) to new operators of future hydrogen networks (HNO). The project aims to incorporate new technologies to accelerate hydrogen development in the European transport network, with the support of the European Commission, which has approved the co-financing of one of the projects by the three countries.
The Green2TSO consortium will conduct pilot projects, technology trials and other activities to accelerate the transformation of the natural gas grid through open innovation initiatives and cooperation between countries. Priority technological areas will be the development of a hydrogen metering system, surface compaction and storage, and alternatives for coating and cleaning gas pipelines.
“The cooperation of the ISOs, also in the field of innovation, is crucial for the development of renewable gas infrastructure in Europe,” says Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of Enagás. “This agreement fits perfectly with the European Union’s common goal of decarbonizing the economy and advancing energy independence, as outlined in the European REPowerEU strategy,” explains the executive, “emphasizing that initiatives like this will strengthen the necessary capacities. Hydrogen Grid Operator (HNO) development of its activities”.
Shocked by H2MED
In recent weeks, splits between Spain and France over which type of hydrogen can be considered green have raised both sides to speak up, and the dispute has turned into an open conflict. Spain wants a dispute with France over differing views on hydrogen labels to damage the world’s future. H2Med and the Government vehemently deny that the dispute jeopardizes the project.
The European Commission, at least some of the hydrogen produced using energy from nuclear power plants, a label similar to hydrogen produced with renewable energythus supporting the arguments of France, the EU’s largest nuclear power. It’s an initial position from Brussels that the Spanish Government vehemently opposes – which the Twenty-Seven and the European Parliament still must support for it to become official. give a gift green band to a non-energy.
The problem is, Intense pressure from the French government The EU’s leveling of the playing field for renewable hydrogen and nuclear comes as far as threatening to continue with H2Med. Originally a runner Hydrogen transport planned from the Iberian Peninsula to Europe and publicly released technical studies did not consider the opposite direction to send hydrogen from Europe to Spain. But France, which was shocked by the color of hydrogen and the sustainability label distributed by the EU, warns that the corridor should also be used to send hydrogen produced with electricity from nuclear reactors to Spain, according to EL PERIÓDICO. DE ESPAÑA is from the Prensa Ibérica group.
Although the project submitted to the European Commission to obtain European funds only foresees hydrogen shipments from Spain to France and not vice versa, Enagás acknowledges that the technical design of the future hydro channel will seek to ensure that the pipe is suitable for bidirectional use. Flow as France has requested, but there are currently no plans to install a compressor in Marseille to make it possible to send hydrogen from there to Barcelona. Hydrogen will be able to flow in both directions, but at least it is expected that only Spain has so far sent it to Europe.