H2Med: Europe’s planned hydrogen corridor across the Iberian Peninsula and into France
Spain, France, and Portugal are moving toward what could become the world’s first major hydrogen corridor. The project, named H2Med, aims to knit the three countries together in two distinct segments and is scheduled to start operating by 2030. Its purpose is clear: to drive the hydrogen economy forward as a key part of the energy transition, gradually reducing dependence on natural gas in sectors where electrification is challenging.
The ambitious pipeline concept was publicly presented by the leaders of the trio at a recent Alicante summit, including Pedro Sánchez, Emmanuel Macron, and Antonio Costa. Even then, tensions surfaced between Madrid and Paris over the kinds of hydrogen that might travel through the future undersea and overland conduit.
Macron signaled that the corridor could carry low-carbon hydrogen, produced either from renewable sources or from nuclear energy. He later noted the possibility that hydrogen produced using energy from France’s nuclear plants might be routed through H2Med. This sparked a swift clarification from Madrid that the corridor would be dedicated to transport of green hydrogen, generated from renewable electricity, rather than hydrogen produced with nuclear power. Officials stressed that H2Med is not intended for importing hydrogen into Spain but for exporting renewable hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to other European markets.
Last week, Spain, France, and Portugal formally submitted H2Med to the European Commission as a candidate for a project of common interest, PCI. If approved, the project could receive up to half of the 2.85 billion euros earmarked for its two segments. The plan envisions a connection with Portugal between Celorico da Beira and Zamora, and a route linking France from Barcelona to Marseille, including an underwater section. Brussels’ assessment, however, centers on a green hydrogen-only use, with early documents suggesting the project will primarily facilitate the export of renewable gas from the Iberian Peninsula—without an upstream role for Spain in importing hydrogen according to several sources familiar with the proposal (Source: Prensa Ibérica group, El Periódico de España).
Official documents submitted for European funding show the intention that hydrogen transport through H2Med will not be used to import hydrogen into Spain. The French facilities are designed to produce hydrogen with electricity from France’s nuclear reactors, but there is no compressor to reverse flow at Marseille, limiting the system to export purposes. This is described by state resources as part of the country’s energy strategy.
Hydrogen production itself relies on electricity. Electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and green hydrogen is produced when this electricity comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar. Pink hydrogen, by contrast, uses electricity from nuclear plants. Given France’s reliance on nuclear power, pink hydrogen emerges as a possible output. Yet the overarching narrative for H2Med remains focused on renewable-based hydrogen for export rather than hydrogen produced from nuclear energy for domestic use.
Brokers in Spain
Spain aspires to host the world’s leading renewable hydrogen hub, seeking EU funds to cover about half of the substantial investments required for H2Med and related infrastructure. In addition to the cross-border corridor to move green gas toward Europe, Madrid aims to secure funding for two major internal hydrogen corridors spanning the country. These would interlink production sites with industrial consumers and two underground storage facilities.
Spain has also requested PCI recognition for key internal routes, including a hydrogen transport corridor from Cartagena through Huelva, Puertollano, Zamora, and Gijón, and another corridor from Gijón to Barcelona. The ministry overseeing ecological transition has not disclosed investment levels for these plans but has signaled that EU support will be sought. The government is also pursuing funding to develop two underground hydrogen storage facilities in Cantabria and the Basque Country, using salt caverns to store gas securely.
Both sets of corridors—international and internal—are positioned as a single PCI candidate, while each planned storage site can attract independent promoters. In practice, transnational projects typically qualify as PCI, and internal routes can qualify when they enhance international connectivity and resilience of the energy system.
The backbone of Spain’s hydrogen strategy is the so-called Spanish hydrogen backbone, a vision advanced by Enagás, the national gas system manager and operator. The plan envisions expanding green hydrogen production as demand grows, with electricity sourced from renewable energy used to drive electrolysis. The overall intent is to decarbonize sectors that are hard to electrify, such as heavy industry and long-haul transport, by integrating hydrogen into the energy mix.
No More Pipelines for gas
Spain is charting a course toward a green hydrogen future and signaling a halt to new international gas interconnections. Plans as recently as a couple of months ago included reviving a gas pipeline project with France through the Pyrenees and, as an alternative, building an underwater gas link with Italy. Those options have been set aside.
The revised approach replaces the midcat concept with a new corridor linking Barcelona and Marseille that will transport green hydrogen under the sea starting in 2030. A second hydrogen-only link between Portugal and Spain will complement this arrangement. At the same time, the proposal to convert an underwater gas pipeline between Italy and Barcelona and Livorno into a hydrogen conduit has been abandoned. Earlier work suggested a 3,000 million euro investment for that conversion, but current strategy concentrates on hydrogen-specific routes.
Official statements from the Ministry of Ecological Transition indicate a strategic pivot away from foreign gas trading toward a robust commitment to renewable hydrogen. The aim is to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors by expanding green hydrogen production and infrastructure, thereby aligning with broader European energy goals. The government emphasizes that the focus will be on green hydrogen that relies on renewable electricity to meet future demand rather than on importing hydrogen or relying on fossil-based gas interconnections.
Spain already operates gas pipelines linking its system to France, Portugal, Algeria, and Morocco. The present plan is not to add facilities for transporting natural gas but to foster green hydrogen plants that will serve the energy transition in the years ahead and help decarbonize heavy industry and transport. This strategic shift underscores a broader belief that hydrogen can be a viable, sustainable fuel for sectors where direct electrification remains challenging.