Spain and France have agreed to explore the potential for installing an electrical connection alongside a proposed underwater pipeline for transporting green hydrogen between the nations, according to Spain's Energy Minister, Teresa Ribera.
The Spanish government, which has raised concerns about the country's energy isolation from other parts of Europe, believes that strengthening connections with France will aid in increasing Europe's energy security and achieving its climate objectives.
Spain announced in December that the BarMar corridor, a pipeline project connecting the port cities of Barcelona and Marseille, is projected to cost 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) and have a capacity of 2 million tonnes of hydrogen per year. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the decade. On Thursday, Ribera stated that the project was progressing well.
“We have agreed to study the possibility of using the same path and the same public work for some of the electric interconnections we have pending (with France),” Ribera added after a bilateral summit in Barcelona, where she met with her French counterpart.
Spain and France have both applied for European Union funding for the proposed electric interconnection project between Barcelona and Marseille. Ribera stated that she believes the project is feasible, but the exact path of the interconnection needs to be further studied.
Despite a brief disagreement last year regarding a gas pipeline project, Prime Minister Sanchez and President Macron have maintained a close relationship. The two countries, along with Portugal, have since agreed to develop a new green hydrogen corridor, known as H2MED, as an alternative solution.
