France and Germany will jointly develop a hydrogen strategy for large-scale H2 production, trading and refuelling, following weekend meetings in Paris between President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The proposed H2Med hydrogen pipeline — originally planned between Portugal, Spain and France — will also be extended to Germany, the nations agreed.
“We will work towards a common understanding and strategy roadmap aiming at the development of large-scale hydrogen production, and build a resilient European hydrogen market based on robust local production and necessary sustainable imports,” the two countries said in a joint declaration.
“We will also take the necessary steps on a European backbone for hydrogen transport across Europe, including the necessary national and transnational hydrogen infrastructures and, in particular, the extension and connection of existing and planned infrastructures, including [the] extension of the H2Med pipeline to Germany.”
And it added: “Together we aim to establish a new Franco-German dialogue platform on battery charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.”
A joint working group on hydrogen will now be formed by the two countries, which will aim to provide “conclusions and recommendations on our strategic choices regarding hydrogen development” at the end of April.
Scholz told a press conference on Sunday: “We want hydrogen as the gas of the future to be available in large quantities and at affordable prices. This is technological progress that we can only achieve together.”
The neighbouring nations also vowed to “make the offshore wind potential of the North Sea one major pillar for competitive electricity prices and hydrogen production”.
Separately, on Friday, Germany announced the creation of an offshore wind zone exclusively for green hydrogen production at sea, which will have an H2 pipeline to shore.
Macron told the press conference that the H2Med project — built around a 225km undersea pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille — would now be extended to Germany, and possibly other countries too.
“We have... found an agreement with Portugal and Spain and can now even expand the whole thing,” he said, according to a transcript from German authorities. “This is important for clean production, but also for diversification in the direction of Germany, but perhaps also in the direction of other countries.”
The proposed pipeline, with a capacity of two million tonnes of hydrogen per year, is planned to be ready by 2030, utilising the Iberian peninsula’s abundance of sun and wind to create green hydrogen from renewable power, and supporting the EU goal of producing 10GW of renewable H2 inside the bloc by 2030.
The undersea Spain-to-France subsea pipeline has a price tag of up to €3bn ($3.25bn), with an additional €350m required for a connection between Spain and Portugal.
These three countries plan to apply for EU funds for up to 50% of the costs, according to Reuters.
