The European hydrogen network development consortium H2med has announced the results of its non-binding Call for Interest to assess future hydrogen market needs from producers, consumers and traders of hydrogen in Portugal, Spain, France and Germany. The Call for Interest attracted 168 companies proposing 528 projects, mainly in Spain (85 companies for 393 projects), followed by France (54 companies, 81 projects), Germany (18 companies, 26 projects) and Portugal (11 companies, 28 projects).
Overall, hydrogen production transiting through H2med could reach 3.85 Mt in 2030 (including 1.9 Mt in Germany), exceeding consumption needs (0.65 Mt, including 0.44 Mt in Germany). Production would ramp up to 5.46 Mt in 2035 (consumption would then reach 1.4 Mt), 5.78 Mt in 2040 (2.1 Mt for consumption) and 5.38 Mt in 2050 (2.5 Mt for consumption). The Iberian Peninsula demonstrates a strong export potential as of 2030 (0.4 Mt/year for Portugal and 1.22 Mt/year for Spain), reaching full BarMar capacity as of 2032. In Spain, total hydrogen production could reach 4.6 Mt in 2035, including 2.6 Mt for Spanish consumption). In France, hydrogen consumption could reach nearly 0.9 Mt/year by 2050, driven primarily by the chemical industry and e-fuels production for the mobility sector. In Germany, West German consumption projects focusing on supply from H2med could take up half of H2med’s capacity by 2035 (hydrogen demand in Germany is estimated at 17-21 Mt/year by 2040). In addition, Northern African countries would be interested to transit their hydrogen production into Europe from 2040.
The H2Med pipeline project is proposed by European gas transmission system operators (TSOs) Enagas, Natran, OGE, REN and Terega. It was declared a PCI in April 2024, and it aims to transport green hydrogen to the countries of northern Europe, via France. It expects to transport nearly 10% of the hydrogen consumed in Europe by 2030 (2 Mt/year).