The H2med project adopted by the European Commission on the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI)

It will be able to transport up to 2 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen per annum (MTPA), which represents 10% of Europe’s projected consumption in 2030 according to the REPowerEU plan. 

In October 2022, the Portuguese, Spanish and French leaders decided the development of energy interconnections in South-West Europe and create a green energy corridor linking the three countries to the rest of the European Union (EU) energy network. They also decided to create a hydrogen interconnection between Portugal and Spain (Celorico de Beira – Zamora/CelZa) and develop a maritime pipeline linking Spain and France (Barcelona-Marseille/BarMar) to transport renewable hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Europe. The three governments ratified this commitment at the Euromed summit on 9 December 2022, with the support of the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen. From January 2023, Germany has decided to lend its support and join this hydrogen corridor initiative. 

Enagás, GRTgaz, REN, and Teréga, the four gas transmission system operators in the relevant zone formed a consortium on 13 December 2022 to provide contributions to their respective governments on the development of H2med project and submit as a candidate for the Project of Common Interest (PCI) under the Regulation EU/2022/869 for Trans-European Energy Networks (TEN-E). Moreover, the transmission grid and system operators met in Berlin on 18 October 2023 to highlight H2med key role in achieving the objectives of the REPowerEU plan and welcome the German grid operator OGE to the consortium. During the event in Berlin, representatives of the European Union and the German, Spanish, Portuguese and French governments expressed their support for the development of the H2med pipeline. The European Commission has now approved the inclusion of H2med on the list of Projects of Common Interest. 

The members of the consortium welcome the delegated act proposed by the European Commission which selects the BarMar and CelZa components of the H2med project. These two projects will be essential in building a hydrogen corridor from the Iberian Peninsula to Central and North-Western Europe, linking supply from producer countries to demand centers and interconnecting the main projects in this corridor. The consortium members recognize the relevance that a number of internal infrastructures in Portugal, Spain, France and Germany have also been selected for the PCI project list. These projects are key for the development of the entire H2med corridor. 

Once submitted to the European Council and Parliament in the beginning of 2024, the approved PCI list will speed up the design and construction permit procedures, as well as raise the project’s profile with investors and the market. This milestone paves the way for the consortium’s H2med group members to participate in the next call for applications for European funding (2024 Energy CEF call) to support the study-related expenditure needed to initiate the investment decision scheduled for late 2025 and conduct commissioning and COD in 2030. 

As of today, the consortium H2med is launching a website bringing together all the components and stages of the project. It can be viewed by following this link https://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 the operator promoting 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 Europe’s second-largest gas transmission operator, with 32,618 km of pipes and 640 TWh of gas transported. The company has 3330 employees and generated nearly €2.1 billion in turnover in 2022. GRTgaz has a mission statement: “Together, we enable an energy future that is safe, affordable and climate neutral”. GRTgaz is an innovative company undergoing a major transformation to adapt its network to new ecological and digital challenges. It is committed to a 100% carbon-neutral French gas mix by 2050. It supports the hydrogen and renewable gas sectors (biomethane and gas from solid and liquid waste). GRTgaz carries out public service missions to guarantee the safety of gas transmission for its 879 clients (shippers, distributors, industrial companies, biomethane plants and producers). With its subsidiaries Elengy, the European leader in LNG terminal services, and GRTgaz Deutschland, operator of the MEGAL transmission network in Germany, GRTgaz plays a key role on the European gas infrastructure scene. 

The company exports its expertise internationally, in particular services developed by its research center, RICE. Find us at https://www.grtgaz.com/, or on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook 

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 5,000 km 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