Hydrogen production volumes being transported through H2Med’s Spanish network will exceed its capacity of two million tonnes from 2032 and onwards, according to the consortium’s Call for Interest (CFI) results.
After the H2Med consortium launched a CFI last November, the results have seen almost 170 companies with over 500 projects demonstrating a “strong interest in the proposed infrastructure,” which will span 5,500km across Portugal, Spain, France and Germany.
Read more: H2med developers seek stakeholder input on European hydrogen corridor
Spain, a key exporter of the network, is expected to have a production potential of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030 and could rise to more than 2 mtpa by 2035 and maintain that level through 2040-2050.
© H2Med
This would surpass the infrastructure capacity of 2 mtpa from 2032 onwards on the Barcelona-Marseille (BarMar) interconnection, indicating the need for expansion.
While France’s hydrogen consumption is set to rise from 0.3 million tonnes in 2030 to up to 0.9 million tonnes by 2050, driven by the industrial and aviation sectors, Portugal’s hydrogen production will remain predominantly export-oriented, with most volumes flowing to Spain via the CelZa interconnection.
Notably, France’s production and imports will be sufficient to meet its domestic demand while also supplying a substantial volume to Germany via the Obergailbach-Medelsheim interconnection.
Combined exports from France, Spain, and Portugal into Germany could potentially reach up to 3 million tonnes by 2040. H2Med has suggested that Germany’s total hydrogen consumption by 2040 could be between 17-21 million tonnes.
Through the Obergailbach-Medelsheim network, H2Med will feed into country’s core hydrogen network – the Wasserstoff-Kernnetz.
© H2Med
The transmission system operators (TSOs) leading the consortium – Enagás, NaTran (GRTgaz), OGE, REN, and Teréga – have said they will now work to expand the H2Med Alliance.
Furthermore, they plan to “develop and animate” the match-making platform to allow registration of new projects and “foster market developments and help build commercial relationships for future collaborations.”
Germany’s 9,000km hydrogen gamble: Will the Wasserstoff-Kernnetz pay off?
“We are creating security for everyone involved – from hydrogen producers at home and abroad to the operators of power plants and storage facilities and future industrial users.”
That was the message from German Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, when his government’s plans for a 9,040km ‘Wasserstoff-Kernnetz’ or hydrogen core network (HCN) were approved by the Federal Network Agency (BNetZA).
The HCN will cover the width of the country, resulting in a feed-in capacity of 101GW of hydrogen and a feed-out capacity of 87GW. Expected to complement the nation’s ambitious hydrogen production and import strategy, the network will connect import terminals to industrial hubs located throughout the country.
It’s a mammoth ambition. In many ways, enabled not only by the aspirations of the German Government, but also by EU regulations. The European Council which adopted the Hydrogen and Decarbonised Gas Markets Decarbonisation Package last May.
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