Green hydrogen: Germany enters European ‘corridor’ – 01/23/2023 – Market

H2Med, the green hydrogen corridor that will link the Iberian Peninsula to the center of the European continent, has just received a new partner. This Sunday (22), in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz announced his country’s entry into the project.

Thus, Germany joins France, Spain and Portugal in creating the infrastructure and undertakes to extend the pipeline to its territory. The goal is, along with other renewable energy sources, to stop depending on Russian gas. After the start of the Ukrainian War, gas became a political asset and object of veiled blackmail by Vladimir Putin over the European Union and the countries that form NATO.

However, the corridor is estimated to be operational only for 2030. Although in an emergency it can also transport natural gas, the new pipeline will be entirely designed for the transfer of hydrogen.

Green hydrogen (H2V) is derived from water, in an extraction process that uses electrical energy to break down the molecule and separate hydrogen gas from oxygen. According to Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition, it is estimated that by 2050, 20% of all energy in Europe will be renewable hydrogen.

The H2Med will have the capacity to transport 2 million tons of green hydrogen per year between Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France) and 750 thousand tons between Celorico da Beira (Portugal) and Zamora (Spain). There is still no data regarding the German arm.

The connection between Portugal and Spain is estimated at 350 million euros, while the submarine extension between Barcelona, ​​Spain, and Marseille, France, could reach 2.5 billion euros.

In October, Portugal and Spain reached an agreement with France for the construction of a new connection between Barcelona and Marseille (BarMar). In December, the three governments presented the project to the EU, which can finance around 50% of the infrastructure.

“The green corridor definitely reinforces its European dimension,” wrote Spanish President Pedro Sánchez in a message posted on Twitter.

In a statement, the Spanish government noted that “for the first time in history”, the Iberian Peninsula could become “leader of energy supply for the whole of Europe”.

According to Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, “once the peninsula’s industrial needs are satisfied, hydrogen can be exported to the north, (…) making the axis of energy transformation another pillar of European modernization” .

“This pipeline that will link Portugal, Spain, France and also Germany is a good project for the future”, said the German prime minister to journalists after this Sunday’s meeting.

“We decided to expand H2Med, which thanks to European funds will unite Portugal, Spain and France, with Germany, which will be a partner in the infrastructure of this project”, said Macron, in turn.

Meanwhile, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, landed in Algeria this Sunday to consolidate an increase in gas supplies to the North African country.

His predecessor, Mario Draghi, visited the African country twice last year to negotiate the purchase of energy and replace Russia, from which it bought 40% of its gas, as Italy’s main supplier.