Hydrogen and CO₂ projects recognised as Projects in the Common Interest
GRTgaz, France's leader in gas transport and a major player in the energy transition, has just announced that the European Commission has selected five of its hydrogen transport projects (HY-FEN, MosaHYc, RHYn, DHUNE and WHHYN) to be certified as “Projects in the Common Interest”. Furthermore, the BarMar project, led by GRTgaz as part of the H2med consortium, has also been selected, together with four other projects connected with transporting CO2 in which GRTgaz plays a partner role. The proposal for the list of Projects in the Common Interest was published by the European Commission on 28 November 2023. This list will need to be examined and approved by the European Parliament and Council in early 2024.
Five H2 projects led by GRTgaz recognised by the Commission as “Projects in the Common Interest”
GRTgaz develops solutions to decarbonise industry and is developing a European hydrogen transport network, connecting up France, Belgium, Germany and Spain. These strategic projects have been awarded the European Commission's “Projects in the Common Interest” label, in recognition of their role in helping the EU to achieve its climate targets. This PCI label could provide them with access to CEF funding (Connecting Europe Facility), which will help these projects to advance.
- The MosaHYc and RHYn projects foreshadow the Franco-German corridor
MosaHYc will see the creation of the first cross-border hydrogen network by converting existing gas pipelines between Moselle and Saarland. It will support the decarbonisation of heavy industry (particularly steel manufacturing). GRTgaz and its partners are aiming to bring the project into service in 2027. The RHYn project in the Upper Rhine region will help decarbonise industry across the Alsace region (France), the Baden-Württemberg region (Germany) and the Basel region (France-Switzerland). - The Franco-Belgian corridor, incorporating WHHYN (Wallonia Hainaut Hydrogen network) and DHUNE (Dunkirk Hydrogen Universal Network), will decarbonise the Dunkirk industrial zone and is set to be extended towards Belgium. WHHYN, meanwhile, has its roots in a highly industrialised cross-border area, and will be expanded towards the Paris region and the Franco-German hydrogen valleys.
- HY-FEN is a North-South hydrogen connection project between Marseille and Obergailbach on the German border
It will connect up the hydrogen production potential located in the Iberian Peninsula up to the primary consumption and storage basins in France and Germany, integrating strategic storage sites along the length of its route.
Finally, BarMar, an integral part of the H2Med corridor, is a Franco-Spanish project that will involve the creation of a subsea pipeline system between Barcelona and Marseille. This pipeline will be able to carry 2 million tonnes of hydrogen per year, and will bolster transport, as well as access to storage options, effectively connecting the Iberian Peninsula to the central European network.
CO2 transport projects selected in which GRTgaz is a partner
GRTgaz is also involved in projects to decarbonise industry through the development of a CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and storage solution.
CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) requires a high-performance transport network to carry extremely large quantities of CO2 from where it is captured to where it is used or geologically stored. This is where GRTgaz comes in, deploying dedicated and adapted transport infrastructure.
Four projects in which GRTgaz is a partner have been selected as European “Projects in the Common Interest” in the Dunkirk-Seine Valley, Saint Nazaire and Fos-sur-Mer regions, where there are high levels of industrial emissions.
Map of GRTgaz's hydrogen and CO2 projects selected to obtain the CIP label
