GRTgaz has announcedthat the European Commission had selected five of its hydrogen transport projects (HY-FEN, MosaHYc, RHYn, DHUNE and WHHYN) for labelling as “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI). In addition, the BarMar project, led by GRTgaz within the H2med consortium, was selected as well as four other projects related to CO transport.2where GRTgaz plays a partner role. The opportunity to take stock of the hydrogen network.
The PIC list proposal was published by the European Commission on 28 November 2023. This list will have to be examined and approved by the Parliament and the Council in early 2024.
GRTgaz provides solutions for the decarbonisation of industry and is weaving a European hydrogen transport network, connecting France, Belgium, Germany and Spain. These strategic projects have received the “Projects of Common Interest” (PIC) label from the European Commission, recognising their role in achieving the EU’s climate objectives. This PIC label could open access to funding from the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) fund, promoting the advancement of these projects.
Cross-border projects
The MosaHYc and RHYn projects prefigure the Franco-German corridor. MosaHYc aims to set up the first cross-border hydrogen network by converting gas pipelines between the Moselle and the Saar. It will support the decarbonization of heavy industry (particularly steel production). GRTgaz and its partners are aiming for the project to be commissioned in 2027. The RHYn project, in the Upper Rhine region, is contributing to the decarbonization of industries in Alsace (France), Baden-Württemberg (Germany) and the Basel region (France-Switzerland).
The Franco-Belgian corridor, incorporating WHHYN (Wallonia Hainaut Hydrogen Network) and DHUNE (Dunkirk Hydrogen Universal Network), will play a crucial role in connecting the North Sea, Dunkirk, Belgium and the hydrogen basins of the Paris region and the Grand Est.
DHUNE focuses on the decarbonization of the Dunkirk industrial zone and plans an expansion towards Belgium. WHHYN, on the other hand, is born in a highly industrialized cross-border area, with expansion plans towards the Paris region and the Franco-German hydrogen valleys.
South side
HY-FEN is a south-north hydrogen link project between Marseille and Obergailbach, on the German border.
It will connect the hydrogen production potential of the Iberian Peninsula to the main consumption and storage basins in France and Germany, integrating strategic storage sites along its route. Finally, BarMar, an integral part of the H2med corridor, is a Franco-Spanish project aimed at developing an underwater pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille. This pipeline, with a capacity of 2 million tonnes of hydrogen per year, will strengthen not only transport but also access to storage options, effectively linking the Iberian Peninsula to the European core network.
Transport of CO2
In parallel with hydrogen transport, GRTgaz is also associated with CO transport projects2 for the decarbonization of industry.
The CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage) requires an efficient transport network to transport the very large quantities of CO2 from their collection point to their recovery or geological storage point. This is where GRTgaz intervenes by deploying dedicated and adapted transport infrastructures.
Four projects in which GRTgaz is a partner have been selected at the European window “ Projects of Common Interest » in the areas of Dunkirk-Seine Valley, Saint-Nazaire and Fos-sur-Mer, which concentrate high industrial emissions.
