EU Commission drives H2med hydrogen corridor forward: important funding approved

EU Vice-President Teresa Ribera met with the managing directors of the five H2med partner companies on 24 June to discuss the current status of the ambitious hydrogen project. The H2med project is planning a hydrogen transport route from the Iberian Peninsula via France to the German gas grid.

Key project objectives and significance

The infrastructure project is intended to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the EU and cover 10 % of Europe's hydrogen requirements by 2030. Those responsible for the project emphasised the need for political backing and called for the legal framework to be clarified quickly in order to enable timely investment decisions in line with the Alicante Agreement.

Breakthrough in financing

The project partners Enagás, NaTran, OGE, REN - Gasodutos and Teréga announced significant progress: the funding agreements for the core components BarMar (Barcelona-Marseille) and CelZa (Celorico-Zamora) were signed. After the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) had already announced the funding of these projects of European interest in January, the funds from the Connecting Europe Facility can now actually be drawn down.

The funding comprises EUR 28.3 million for technical studies for the BarMar project, including marine and environmental studies, and a further EUR 7.2 million for the planning phases of the CelZa pipeline and compressor station. These sums correspond to the CEF funding applied for in full and cover 50 % of the current project investments. It is worth noting that the H2med projects receive 39 % of all hydrogen funding approved by CINEA.

Project development and international cooperation

The funding success builds on the H2med alliance established in December, which aims to attract European partners for an integrated hydrogen value chain.

The project dates back to the Euromed summit on 9 December 2022 in Alicante, where the heads of government of Portugal, Spain and France presented the project for the first time together with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Germany joined the initiative in January 2023. At a Berlin event in October 2023, the four countries as well as the European Commission, industry and key stakeholders reaffirmed their support for the project.