H2med will have capacity to transport up to 2 million tons of green hydrogen produced in Spain and Portugal to the rest of Europe
The H2med project will mark a turning point in cross-border transport in the green hydrogen corridor. Aimed at accelerating the energy transition in Europe and driven by Enagás together with its counterparts in France (Teréga and NaTran), Portugal (REN) and Germany (OGE), H2med will establish Europe’s first large-scale renewable hydrogen channel, scheduled to be operational by 2030.
A key infrastructure for decarbonization
The axis H2med axis includes two major sections. On the one hand, CelZa will link Portugal and Spain through a 248-kilometer interconnection between Celorico da Beira and Zamora, with the capacity to transport up to 0.75 million tons of hydrogen per year.
On the other hand, BarMar, a 455-kilometer underwater pipeline, will connect Barcelona with Marseille and will be able to move up to 2 million tons per year. Both routes will be equipped with strategic compression stations stations to ensure flow efficiency.
European participation in the hydrogen corridor green
The initiative was presented at the Euromed summit in 2022 and has been gaining traction with the support of the governments of Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. In 2023 the German operator OGE formally joined and the European Commission ratified the priority nature of the project, including it as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) and granting 100% of the CEF funds requested for the study phase.
H2med as a pan-European market driver
This new route will allow transporting up to 10% of the green hydrogen consumption target set for Europe, positioning the Iberian Peninsula as one of the continent’s major producers. A “Call For Interest” process was launched at the end of 2024 to assess the needs of the entire value chain and the results were presented to the sector in 2025.
Enagás: strategic operator of the green hydrogen corridor
Enagás, with more than half a century of experience in gas infrastructure and certified as an independent TSO by the EU, assumes a key role as system operator. As a result of Royal Decree-Law 8/2023, it will also be able to operate as provisional manager of the hydrogen backbone network, strengthening its leadership in the mobility of the new energy vector.
Next steps of the project
Preliminary engineering and layout studies for BarMar are currently underway, as well as social and economic impact analyses. H2med is consolidating as a structural piece for Europe’s energy future, fostering an integrated and competitive market for clean hydrogen.
Source : Enegas