European companies launch the Alliance to accelerate decarbonisation through the H2med Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor

● This Alliance will bring together countries such as Portugal, Spain, France and Germany, reinforcing the deployment of a European hydrogen single market, as well as connecting hydrogen production, storage and consumption projects.

● Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), DH2 Energy España, Elyse Energy,, Hydrogène de France, HYNAMICS, Moeve, Qair, Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co KGaA, thyssenkrupp nucera, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe and Enagás, GRTgaz, OGE, REN and Teréga -H2med promoters-, establish a framework for cooperation in this European, cross-cutting and multisectorial initiative. It is an open Alliance that aims to include more companies and regions, calling for support from governments too.

● The main goal of this Alliance is to accelerate decarbonisation of industrial territories through the implementation of the H2med Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor by the early 2030´s, driving a strong European hydrogen value chain. This initiative is aligned with the European Green Deal and Fit for 55 goals, as well as with the new objectives set by the European Commission in the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal.

● This partnership contributes to developing and strengthening a competitive, resilient, and sustainable European industry, thus helping to achieve national and European decarbonisation goals and the long-term security of supply and resilience of the energy system.

December 11 – Madrid.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), DH2 Energy España, Elyse Energy, Hydrogène de France, HYNAMICS, Moeve, Qair, Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co KGaA, thyssenkrupp nucera, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (energy and technological companies) and Enagás, GRTgaz, OGE, REN et Teréga -H2med promoters-, create the Alliance for the H2med Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor. This Alliance will bring together countries such as Portugal, Spain, France and Germany, reinforcing the deployment of a European hydrogen single market as well as connecting hydrogen production, storage and consumption projects.

This initiative aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of industrial regions through theimplementation of the H2med Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor by the early 2030´s, driving a robust hydrogen value chain. This effort reflects a shared vision for a climate-neutral Europe powered by renewable and low-carbon hydrogen. In this context, the Alliance contributes to achieving the decarbonisation and energy transition goals of the European Green Deal and Fit for 55, in alignment with the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP), the vision articulated in Mario Draghi’s report and the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal.

The Alliance have been announced during the event at the German Embassy in Madrid: “Scaling Up Green Hydrogen for Domestic Use and Export” with the presence of Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Joan Groizard Payeras, Secretary of State for Energy at the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, João Mira-Gomes, Portuguese Ambassador to Spain and Maria Margarete Gosse, German Ambassador to Spain.

This cross-cutting, multiregional and multisectoral collaboration will be essential to provide a sound basis for driving hydrogen supply and demand, creating best conditions to develop strategic projects. The Alliance will facilitate collaboration and communication between members across all hydrogen value chain segments (production, technology, consumption, transport…) – this multilateral coordination is recognized as a key element to generate a real and long-term tractor effect to drive the sector forward.

This Alliance will contribute to impulse domestic hydrogen markets and decarbonisation in their respective countries, by creating incentives to scale up capacities for production and offtake as well as integrating supply and demand for energy in Europe.

Considering the strategic role of hydrogen for decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors (industry and maritime, aviation and heavy transport), it is essential to develop a trans-European hydrogen ecosystem and establish a hydrogen single market. This will ensure the competitiveness of European industry as well as the long-term security of supply and resilience of the European energy system. The Alicante Declaration signed by the European leaders during the Euromed Summit in 2022 underscored the European commitment to seek collective solutions to the energy problem, focusing on hydrogen and its transportation as key elements for the continent’s energy independence.

Through this Alliance, participants will establish a framework for cooperation contributing to the development of the Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor, consisting mainly of the pipeline projects H2med, HY-FEN (GRTgaz South-North hydrogen link) and HySoW, the Portuguese and Spanish Backbones, in connection with OGE´s pipelines as part of the German hydrogen core network, which have all been recognized (or are candidating) as Projects of Common Interest (PCI) by the European Union.

Moreover, the members of the Alliance will work together to reinforce the deployment of hydrogen network projects as well as connect hydrogen production, storage and consumption projects, thereby contributing to growth of the hydrogen economy in Europe. To that end, members will meet periodically to ensure coordination, identification and reporting of synergies and opportunities. It is an open Alliance that aims to include additional companies and regions in the near future, calling for support from governments too.

About the companies involved:

Enagás is a Transmission System Operator (TSO) with 50 years’ experience in the development, operation and maintenance of energy infrastructure. It has more than 12,000 kilometres of gas pipelines, three underground storage facilities and eight regasification plants. The company operates in seven countries. In Spain it is the Technical Manager of the Gas System and, according to the Royal Decree-Law 8/2023, Enagás may operate as provisional Hydrogen Transmission Network Operator (HTNO) and develop H2med, the Spanish hydrogen network and associated storage facilities. In line with its commitment to energy transition, Enagás has announced its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040, with a firm commitment to decarbonisation and the promotion of renewable gases, especially hydrogen. Find out more at: https://www.enagas.es/en/ Press contact: Jorge Álvarez – dircom@enagas.es – (+34) 630 384 930.

GRTgaz is France’s primary gas transmission system operator and the second biggest in Europe. The Group has two subsidiaries: Elengy – the European leader in LNG terminals, and GRTgaz Deutschland, which operates the MEGAL network. In line with its mission statement – “Together, we enable an energy future that is safe, affordable and climate neutral” – GRTgaz has a public service mission, ensuring the safety of gas transmission for its 865 clients (biomethane producers, shippers, industrial companies, electricity power plants and distributors). GRTgaz is committed to achieving net zero and is adapting its network to new ecological and digital challenges; it supports the development of low-carbon hydrogen and renewable gas sectors (biomethane and gas from solid and liquid waste). It also transports waste CO2 for the purposes of decarbonising the industrial sector. Key figures: 32,600 km of pipes, 625 TWh of gas transported, 3300 employees, €2.1 billion in turnover generated in 2023 (€2.6
billion at Group level). Find out more at: https://www.grtgaz.com/en, X, LinkedIn, Instagram. Press contact: Chafia Baci – chafia.baci@grtgaz.com – T +33 (0)6 40 48 54 40

OGE is one of Europe’s leading transmission system operators. With our approximately 12,000 kilometres of pipeline network, we transport gas throughout Germany and, due to our geographical location, we are the link for gas flows in the European single market. Our approximately 2,000 employees of the OGE group stand for security of supply. We make our network available to all market participants on a non-discriminatory, market-oriented and transparent basis. We make energy flow. For more information about the company, please visit www.oge.net. Press contact: Kristian Peters-Lach – kristian.peters-lach@oge.net – (+49) 201 3642–12622

REN – Gasodutos, S.A. is the Portuguese gas TSO and part of REN – Redes Energéticas Nacionais, SGPS, S.A., a group of companies that integrates the Portuguese electricity TSO, as well as other gas activities concessions in Portugal such as, the Sines LNG Terminal, the underground storage and one gas distribution company. Besides its operation in Portugal, REN also has gas and electric grid assets in Chile and a share in the Cahora Bassa power plant in Mozambique. REN – Gasodutos, S.A. is responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of more than 1,300 km of high-pressure pipelines in Portugal and for the national gas system technical management. Find us at https://www.ren.pt/
Press contact: Paulo Camacho – paulo.camacho@ren.pt – (+351) 929 029 187

Teréga – Located in the Greater South-West, a crossroads of major European gas flows, Teréga has been deploying exceptional know-how in the development of gas transport and storage infrastructures for more than 75 years and is now designing innovative solutions to meet the major energy challenges in France and Europe. A true accelerator of the energy transition, Teréga has more than 5000 km of pipelines and two underground storage facilities representing respectively 15.6% of the French gas transmission network and 26.9% of the national storage capacity. In 2023, the company achieved a turnover of €494 million (excluding congestion balancing) and has 646 employees. Social responsibility is at the heart of Teréga’s strategy, which is committed to the energy transition towards carbon neutrality. Teréga deploys programmes in all ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) areas: the safety of its employees and the safety of its infrastructure via the PARI 2035 programme, the sustainable development of territories and social responsibility via the ENERGIZ MOUV programme, the support of philanthropic projects through the Teréga Energies Accelerator endowment fund, and the reduction of environmental impacts through the BE POSITIF programme with a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by -34% by 2030 compared to 2021 across scopes 1, 2 and 3, which would make it possible to achieve -54% on scopes 1 and 2 compared to 2017. Find us at https://www.terega.fr/
Press contact: Céline DALLEST – celine.dallest@terega.fr – (+33)6 38 89 11 07