2023-11-28 16:44:00
The green hydrogen corridor has just received the final green light from the European Commission, which includes this gigantic infrastructure in its projects of common interest. And if the European Parliament has yet to confirm the Commission’s choice, H2Med is on course to effectively connect the port of Barcelona to that of Marseille and transport hydrogen produced from renewable energy to Germany.
Costing 2.5 billion euros, the “pipe” will transport clean hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula, and in particular Portugal, and probably subsequently from countries in North Africa, to the northern Europe, first in Germany. Underwater, the infrastructure will leave the port of Barcelona to reach that of Fos-Marseille, 455 kilometers further.
A crucial step
Since November 28, 2023, H2Med is one of the 166 cross-border energy projects selected by the European Commission. Among them, 65 concern hydrogen and electrolysers. “These major cross-border infrastructure projects will help the European Union achieve its ambitious energy and climate goalsindicates Brussels. Projects of common interest (like H2Med – Editor’s note) will benefit from simplified licensing and regulatory procedures and will be eligible for financial support under the Union’s Connecting Europe Facility.”.
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The H2Med file, debated at European summits and at the Franco-Spanish summit in Barcelona last January, as well as the 165 others, will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council “for exam”. Both have a time limit of “two months to accept or reject the list in its entirety, but cannot modify it”.
Helping the European Union achieve its climate and energy goals
Once the list has been adopted, the Commission “will work with project promoters and Member States to support its rapid implementation”. Because Europe wants to accelerate its decarbonization and if it supports these (expensive) cross-border energy infrastructure projects, it is so that they “help the Union achieve its climate and energy objectives set out in the European Green Deal”.
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In this context of climate emergency, the European Commission warns that it “will ensure that projects are completed quickly and contribute to doubling the capacity of the European Union’s grid by 2030 as well as achieving its 42.5% renewable energy target.”
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