The 1st list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI)under revised TEN-E officially published

On 28 November 2023, the European Commission selected BarMar and CelZa projects to be included on the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) / Projects of Mutual interest (PMI). The members of the H2med consortium Enagas, GRTgaz, Teréga, REN and OGE welcomed the delegated act proposed by the European Commission selecting the H2med project as PCI.

The H2med project is the fruit of the political agreement ratified at the European summit in December 2022 between the Portuguese, Spanish and French leaders, with the support of the President of the European Commission. The project has secured the support of Germany in January 2023.

H2med aims at creating a green energy corridor linking the three countries to the rest of the European Union (EU) energy network. H2med is composed of a hydrogen interconnection between Portugal and Spain (Celorico de Beira – Zamora, ”CelZa”) and a maritime pipeline linking Spain and France (Barcelona – Marseille, “BarMar”) to transport renewable hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Europe.

In order to be selected as a PCI, the H2med project has shown significant contribution at EU level to sustainability, market integration, security of supply and competition.

PCI projects will notably benefit from a streamlined permit granting procedures and an improved, faster and better streamlined environmental assessment. This important milestone will also allow BarMar and CelZa projects to be eligible for financial assistance and participate in the next call for applications for European funding (2024 Energy CEF call) to support the study-related expenditures needed to trigger
the investment decision scheduled for 2026 and conduct commissioning in 2030.

Visit our website www.h2medproject.com

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 kilometers of gas pipelines, three underground storage facilities and eight regasification plants, four of which are wholly owned by Enagás and four others in which the company has a significant stake. The company operates in eight countries: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Germany, Albania, Greece and Italy. 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 manager of the hydrogen backbone network. 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.

Press contact: dircom@enagas.es ; (+34) 917 09 93 40

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 kilometers 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 1,450 employees stand for security of supply. We make our network available to all market participants on a non-discriminatory, market-oriented and transparent basis. We shape energy supply. Today and in the energy mix of the future. For more information about the company, please visit www.oge.net.

Press contact: Kristian Peters-Lach, kristian.peters-lach@oge.net ; T +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 www.ren.pt
Press contact: Paulo Camacho; paulo.camacho@ren.pt ; (+351) 929 029 187

Teréga – Established in South-West France, at the crossroads between major European gas flows, has exercised exceptional expertise for over 75 years in the development of gas transport and storage infrastructures. Today, it continues to develop innovative solutions to take on the major energy challenges facing France and Europe. Teréga operates over 5,000km of pipelines and 2 underground storage reservoirs representing 16% of the French gas transport grid and 26% of national storage capacity. The company achieved turnover of 799 million euros in 2022 and employs about 650 people.

Corporate social responsibility is at the heart of Teréga’s strategy, as it embarks on the energy transition to carbon neutrality. Teréga has rolled out programmes in all areas of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance): its employee safety and its infrastructure security via the PARI 2025 programme, sustainable development of territories and social responsibility via the ENERGIZ MOUV programme, support of philanthropic projects via the Teréga Accélérateur d’Énergies endowment fund, and reduction of environmental impacts via the BE POSITIF programme with a commitment to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2021 on all scopes 1, 2 and 3.

Find us at https://www.terega.fr / and on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Press contact: Céline Dallest: celine.dallest@terega.fr (+33)6 38 89 11 07