Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo drew attention to the results of the second auction of the European Hydrogen Bank, which demonstrate Spain's role as a European leader in renewable hydrogen. “Spain has the opportunity to lead the energy transition in Europe”, he said during his speech at the VI Expansión International Forum, held on 21 and 22 May in Alcalá de Henares.
As Arturo Gonzalo pointed out, in a conversation with the Expansión journalist Miguel Ángel Patiño, the funding granted by the European Hydrogen Bank confirms Spain's leadership. The country with the most hydrogen projects awarded in Europe (8 out of 15), with the most projects submitted (36 out of 61), the one that will receive the most funds (292 million euros out of a total of 992 million) and that succeeds in producing hydrogen at the most competitive average price (5.5 euros per kilogram).
The Enagás CEO said that the results also highlight the importance of pipeline networks in developing the European hydrogen market: two-thirds of the projects submitted to the second auction to the European Hydrogen Bank require this type of infrastructure to connect production and consumption.
Arturo Gonzalo also stated that the European H2med corridor and the Spanish hydrogen backbone, both recognised as Projects of Common Interest by the European Commission, "are progressing according to plan". The Enagás CEO went on to say that the Public Participation Plan for the Spanish hydrogen network has been "very constructively and positively" received by town and city councils and citizens.
"Hydrogen is not only a technological or energy opportunity; it’s an opportunity to create value for inland Spain," he stressed.
Arturo Gonzalo also stressed that the power outage on 28 April showed that it is essential to have a system of molecules such as green hydrogen and natural gas. The Enagás CEO stressed that gas infrastructures made an essential contribution to the recovery of the electricity system by meeting the demand for gas for the production of electricity with combined cycles.
"The Gas System passed the outage test with flying colours," said Arturo Gonzalo, who also stressed the importance of coordination between gas infrastructures and the technical management of the system in the same crisis committee. "It’s a model to be emulated in Europe," he said.
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