The CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo, highlighted Andalusia's role in making Spain a European hub for renewable hydrogen, during his speech at the opening ceremony of the 1st National Green Hydrogen Congress held on 7 February in Huelva. "Andalusia is a key part of the Spanish and European energy system and it will also be a key part of the green hydrogen system," he stated.
The CEO of Enagás spoke after the opening speech by the President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno; the Mayor of Huelva, Pilar Miranda; the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, and the President of the Huelva Provincial Council, David Toscano.
Arturo Gonzalo highlighted "the enormous potential of this region and of Spain to produce the most competitive green hydrogen in Europe". Therefore, the CEO has assessed the importance of connecting Andalusia with the rest of the country and with Europe through the Spanish hydrogen infrastructure and the H2med corridor, projects included in the list of Project of Common Interest (PCI).
The results of the Call For Interest, carried out by Enagás, indicate, in his words, the potential of the projects presented in Andalusia for the future development of this energy vector. "If we look at the geographical distribution in Spain, we can see that in Andalusia there are important centres of production and as well as of demand for renewable hydrogen, mainly Huelva and Algeciras", he said, highlighting the significant economic, industrial and employment impact that this entails.
Renewable hydrogen is an opportunity to decarbonise those industries which find it difficult to opt for electrification alone. "Our industries, such as steel, refineries, chemical and fertiliser will have the potential to replace the 600,000 tonnes of grey hydrogen with renewable hydrogen in order to meet their Net Zero commitment on time," he said.
The second day of the congress, held on Thursday 8 February, was also attended by Enagás' Director General for Energy Transition, Natalia Latorre, and the Director of Hydrogen, Jesús Gil, who highlighted the results of the Call for Interest launched by Enagás regarding the evolution of hydrogen production and demand in our country, during a speech focusing on the corridors promoted by Enagás: the H2med project and the Spanish hydrogen infrastructure.
Jesus Gil then moderated a panel discussion on "Strategic storage and hydrogen logistics" with the President of Sedigas, Joan Batalla, the CEO of Exolum, Jorge Lanza, and the Exploration Director of Trinity, Julio Matesanz.
