H2med project is launching its Call for Interest

The H2med project is a transnational initiative between Portugal, Spain, France and Germany to interconnect the hydrogen networks from the Iberian Peninsula to Northwestern Europe. It will unlock the potential of a hydrogen economy and enable Europe to meet its decarbonisation and reindustrialisation objectives thanks to an affordable green hydrogen supply by 2030. The H2med Corridor includes a hydrogen interconnection between Portugal and Spain, CelZa (Celorico da Beira – Zamora), with a capacity of 0.75 million tons (Mt) per year, as well as a maritime pipeline connecting Spain to France, BarMar (Barcelona – Marseille), with a 2 Mt/year capacity. Both interconnections have been included in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) published on the 8th of April 2024.

The H2med Call for Interest aims to identify the needs in all the areas covered by the Corridor, in particular the national hydrogen backbones that the five project promoters aim to build by 2030:

• – In Portugal, where extensive wind and solar programmes have been launched, REN is planning a hydrogen infrastructure capable of exporting 0.75 million tons per year of hydrogen via H2med.

• – In Spain, Enagás, provisional Hydrogen Transmission Network Operator (HTNO), has received the approval by the Council of Ministers to develop, build and operate the Spanish hydrogen backbone with 2,700 km of pipelines with two associated storage facilities, as well as jointly developing with its partners the H2med Corridor, positioning the Iberian Peninsula as an export hub for renewable hydrogen in Europe up to 2 million tons per year.

• – In France,
  • . GRTgaz is working on HY-FEN, a 1,000 km hydrogen connection project running from Marseille to Obergailbach on the German border, identified as well in the latest PCI list. It will link the potential hydrogen production of the Iberian Peninsula with the major consumption and storage hubs in France and Germany, incorporating strategic storage sites along the route. HY-FEN will connect with other key projects, also part of the latest PCI list.
  • . Teréga leads the Hydrogen Southwest corridor project (HySoW), a transmission and storage infrastructure project of 650 km dedicated to hydrogen to decarbonise the major industrial and mobility hubs of the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, in the Southwest of France and along the border with Spain. HySoW will provide access to additional hydrogen volumes and give flexibility to the Corridor through storage capacities and will connect to HyFEN through the MidHY project developed by GRTgaz.

• – In Germany, the project H2med will also interconnect with OGE’s H₂ercules project, which is part of the German hydrogen core grid consisting of about 9,000 km, connecting all the country’s major demand centres. H₂ercules is a 2,000km network of pipelines that will supply consumers mainly in southern and western Germany with hydrogen from various sources: produced in the country and imported, notably via H2med.

On the 22nd of October Enagás, GRTgaz, REN, OGE and Teréga submitted their applications to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding to carry out studies for their H2med Corridor’s both PCI. The applications are backed by letters of support from the governments of Portugal, Spain, France and Germany.
The Call for Interest has been presented today in Madrid through a dedicated webinar with representatives of the five European TSOs involved in the project. Project promoters from each participating company provided further context of the process, detailing its main objectives and the technical steps for participation.
The Call for Interest has been presented today in Madrid through a dedicated webinar with representatives of the five European TSOs involved in the project. Project promoters from each participating company provided further context of the process, detailing its main objectives and the technical steps for participation.

Interested stakeholders are invited to take part in this process by submitting their applications via the H2Digital platform accessible through the H2medproject.com website until the 18th of December. At the end of this Call for Interest, the results will be presented to the stakeholders.

The EU’s ambitions to support the development of a hydrogen market

The commitments made in the REPower EU framework – which aims for 10 Mt of domestically produced green hydrogen and 10 Mt from imports – and the more recent Net Zero Industry Act underscore the hydrogen role as a crucial vector in the decarbonisation and reindustrialisation of the EU. It is now necessary to develop the associated infrastructures within the EU, which is the aim of CelZa and BarMar. Their designation as PCI projects illustrates their significant contribution at the European level in terms of sustainability, market integration, security of supply, and competitiveness.

This Corridor linking Southern and Northwestern Europe results from joint efforts by four European countries, supported by private and public commitments. It reflects the strategic importance and privileged position of Southern Europe in terms of competitive hydrogen production.

The development of the Corridor will cover the entire hydrogen value chain, enhancing the economic competitiveness of all industrial users. Furthermore, it will enable carbon saving in all industrial functions, creating a viable development ecosystem for new industries and reindustrialisation. Ultimately, H2med will position clean hydrogen at the heart of the future energy system.

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/, X, LinkedIn, Instagram.

Press contact: Chafia Baci – chafia.baci@grtgaz.com – (+33) 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