Enagás’ Energy Transition General Manager, Natalia Latorre, has highlighted that the results of the first auction of the European Hydrogen Bank reflect Spain’s potential to lead the deployment of renewable hydrogen in Europe. “Of the 720 million euros awarded, more than 250 million are for Spanish projects”, she said during her participation in the IV edition of the forum “European Funds: innovation for sustainable growth” organised by elDiario.es on 16 May in Madrid and opened by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez.
Natalia Latorre stressed that Spain is the country that has submitted the most projects, 46, out of the 132 that took part in the pilot auction of the European Hydrogen Bank.
“Spain has a great opportunity to lead the development of hydrogen”, she said while participating in the round table “Green hydrogen and other energies of the future”, together with Sara Aagesen, Secretary of State for Energy; Rocío Prieto González, Director General for Energy of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC); Ana Barreira, Specialist in Law and Environment of IIDMA (International Institute of Law and Environment); Carlos Barrasa, Director of Commercial & Clean Energies of Cepsa, and Ignacio Colmenares, President of Ence. The round table was moderated by Antonio M. Vélez, Economy Editor of elDiario.es. The round table was preceded by a talk by the Vice President of the Government of Spain and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera.
The Energy Transition General Manager pointed out that Enagás is preparing to apply for funding from the Connecting Europe Facility for the infrastructures included in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI), “in the first phase for studies and then for construction, which is expected to be operational by 2030”. The Enagás projects included as PCIs, she pointed out, are the first axes of the Spanish hydrogen backbone, two storage facilities and H2Med, a strategic infrastructure for Europe.
Natalia Latorre stressed that this corridor will be key to developing the hydrogen market and channelling surplus renewable production from the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe. As an example of the European Union’s need for this energy carrier, the Energy Transition General Manager recalled that Germany’s Hydrogen Strategy envisages that the country will import between 50 and 70% of its hydrogen consumption by 2030.
