A new pipeline between the Iberian peninsula and France will be capable of transporting 2mn t/yr of hydrogen by 2030, according to Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez.

The H2Med pipeline will have two sections—one overland from Celerico de Beira in Portugal to Zamora in Spain, and the other under the sea from Barcelona in Spain to Marseille in France.

Portugal, Spain and France agreed to pursue the project in October, and since then a joint study has outlined the technical requirements of the pipeline and various route options.

“It is essential that we Europeans show solidarity to reduce energy dependency” Sanchez, Spain

The project will form a key part of all three nations’ decarbonisation strategies, according to Sanchez.

“It is essential that we Europeans show solidarity to reduce energy dependency,” he says.

The start of construction is envisaged for early 2026, assuming finance is in place. The overland section is forecast to cost €350mn ($369mn) and the subsea section €2.5bn. The countries have applied for financial aid from the European Commission’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (Ipcei) fund.

“I welcome the application for Ipcei funding,” says European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. “Your H2Med project has the potential to help us build a real EU hydrogen backbone.”

The European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) is an initiative of 23 European natural gas grid operators to use existing pipelines to transport hydrogen across the continent.

The network would be key to achieving the European Commission’s goal to use 20mn t/yr of hydrogen to decarbonise European industry—10 mn t/yr from domestic production and 10mn t/yr from imports.

The EHB consortium envisages five corridors emerging in Europe to connect hydrogen supply with demand. These are known as the Nordic & Baltic, North Africa, North Sea, Southwest and Southeast supply corridors. The H2 Med pipeline would form a key element of the Southwest corridor.

The EHB envisages the hydrogen infrastructure growing to become a pan-European network with a total length of 53,000km by 2040, largely based on repurposed existing natural gas infrastructure.

The EHB has published maps showing additional routes that could emerge—including potential offshore interconnectors and pipelines in regions outside areas where the EHB members are active.

The EHB scheme as proposed in that report will by 2040 require an estimated investment of €80–143bn ($84.3–150.7bn).

Transporting hydrogen over 1,000km costs an average of €0.11–0.21/kg for onshore pipelines and €0.17–0.32/kg per 1,000km for subsea connections.

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Author: Tom Young