Source: Twitter, Ursula von der Leyen, (@vonderleyen)
The undersea pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille is to only carry hydrogen and should be completed by 2030, Euronews reported.
According to leaders, the undersea pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille will carry hydrogen and should be completed by 2030.
Originally, the H2MED project, agreed upon by France, Portugal, and Spain in October, was meant to carry natural gas.
After a trilateral meeting ahead of a summit of EUMED leaders in Alicante, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa confirmed that the new corridor would be “exclusively dedicated to green hydrogen”.
Este foi um momento importante de unidade da Europa, que aqui se reuniu em Alicante na #EUMED, e que se estende do Mediterrâneo Oriental até ao Atlântico. Demonstrámos, mais uma vez que, juntos podemos fazer mais do que cada um isoladamente. E em conjunto fazer mais por toda a UE pic.twitter.com/p1DNHTQbtO
— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) December 9, 2022
According to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the pipeline will cost around €2.5 billion and transport two million tonnes of hydrogen each year.
El corredor #H2Med que impulsamos hoy de forma definitiva refuerza la seguridad y la autonomía estratégica de la UE y reitera nuestra determinación con la neutralidad climática.
España ya lidera el desarrollo de energías renovables y será un referente también en el hidrógeno. pic.twitter.com/9ioWXT3gQk
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) December 9, 2022
Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the three countries will submit the project to the European Commission by December 15 for it to be declared a “project of common interest” so that EU funds can cover up to 50% of its costs.
By mid-century, the EU plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 through the use of hydrogen in its energy mix.
Réduire nos émissions pour protéger notre climat, fournir à nos territoires une énergie propre pour réindustrialiser et renforcer notre autonomie stratégique, voilà les objectifs que nous visons avec le projet H2Med, première étape d’un grand réseau européen d’hydrogène. pic.twitter.com/wUYFyNIDyX
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 9, 2022
A RePowerEU plan aimed at speeding up the energy transition, diversifying energy supplies, and improving connections between member states was also unveiled in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Our energy security in Europe has been reinforced as a result of the Russian war against Ukraine. As a consequence, we need to be able to produce energy without relying on third parties in order to maintain our energy security. It is also important to diversify the sources and routes of energy imports, even if we are forced to import some. The more diversification, the less dependence we will have,” Costa told reporters.
Alicante meeting organizer Ursula von der Leyen said the H2MED project “goes in the right direction” since it “can help us build a real European hydrogen infrastructure.”
#H2Med can help us build the first European hydrogen backbone.
A further step towards a broader Green Hydrogen Partnership across the Southern Mediterranean.
The Iberian Peninsula is becoming a major European energy gateway to the world & 🇪🇺 will be part of this success story. https://t.co/nKirKizpes pic.twitter.com/0tq35pAdm6
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 9, 2022
A total of ten million tonnes of renewable hydrogen will be produced in the EU by 2030, and another 10 million tonnes will be imported from abroad. Considering this, we identified a series of strategic corridors, including one that crosses Europe from West to East, along the Iberian Peninsula.”
Therefore, I warmly welcome the agreement between France, Spain, and Portugal today.
According to a report by Hydrogen Europe, Portugal currently produces the most affordable renewable hydrogen in the EU, and decarbonisation with hydrogen will cost $15 trillion between 2022 and 2050.
Source: Euronews
