Energy Transition General Manager at Enagás, Natalia Latorre, highlighted the importance of the company's designation as interim manager of the Spanish hydrogen network at the European Hydrogen Energy Conference (EHEC), held from 6 to 8 March in Bilbao. "The Royal Decree Law 8/2023 mandates us to present a non-binding plan for the future hydrogen network in Spain in April", she detailed during her speech at the conference’s first plenary session, following the inauguration, which was attended via video by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
Natalia Latorre highlighted the usefulness of the information received by Enagás in the Call For Interest launched last year, which saw a high level of participation from the sector, with 650 projects from 206 companies. The manager at Enagás explained that the results of the Call for Interest show that “Spain has the capacity to produce, consume and transport the hydrogen that is demanded and required, and be an exporter of this hydrogen to Europe”.
Spain has great potential to become the main European hydrogen centre, which is why, she asserted, there is a great need for planning Spanish and European hydrogen infrastructures.
Enagás' management highlighted that Royal Decree Law 8/2023 also designates Enagás as TSO (Transmission System Operator) representative in Europe for ENNOH (European Network of Network Operators for Hydrogen).
The General Manager for Energy Transition recalled that 2023 was a year that was full of advances in the field of hydrogen, such as the approval of the European Directive on Hydrogen and Decarbonised Gas Markets and the inclusion of the H2med corridor and the Spanish hydrogen infrastructure in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI). "By being included in the PCI list, we can apply for European funds, “she stressed.
