The Government delegate in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, held a meeting with Enagas officials to learn first-hand about the progress in the investment projects that the energy company develops in the region, with special attention to the construction of a strategic storage of green hydrogen.
The meeting was attended by Susana de Pablo, General Director of Engineering, Technology and Digitalization of Enagas; Rosa Nieto, Director of Engineering and Projects; and Ignacio de Teresa, Manager of Permits. The company’s managers have transferred to Gómez de Diego their commitment to Cantabria as a key location for the development of infrastructures linked to the energy transition.
During the meeting, held at the headquarters of the Government Delegation, Gómez de Diego highlighted the importance of these initiatives for the industrial and energy development of Cantabria, aligned with the Hydrogen Road Map promoted by the central executive.
Thus, the delegate of the Government has claimed the role of Spain in promoting renewable hydrogen and its potential to become a European reference in clean energy. "Ensuring Europe's energy autonomy is a strategic challenge in which Spain is playing a key role. We cannot depend on fossil fuels from third countries, and that is why the Government of Spain is firmly betting on renewable energies, with green hydrogen as one of its great bets for the future," he said.
In addition, as he stressed, this transition "not only gives us independence and energy security, but also reduces pollution and opens up new opportunities for employment and economic growth in innovative and sustainable sectors. Projects such as the storage of green hydrogen from Enagás in Cantabria are an example of the way forward: infrastructures that strengthen our industrial capacity, guarantee energy supply and consolidate Spain as a key player in the transformation of the European energy model," said the government delegate.
In this regard, Gómez de Diego recalled that in recent years the Government of Spain has mobilized more than 1.2 billion euros in aid for the development of the renewable hydrogen value chain, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Optimal conditions
For their part, the representatives of Enagas reaffirmed their commitment to the development of key infrastructures in Cantabria, stressing that the region has optimal conditions for the storage and distribution of hydrogen. In addition, they have valued the integration of these projects in the future hydrogen backbone network of Spain and the H2med corridor, the great hydrogen corridor that will connect the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of Europe.
The Government of Spain and Enagas continue to make progress in the development of strategic projects that strengthen the energy autonomy and sustainability of the system, aligned with the European objectives of emission reduction and ecological transition.
Hydrogen Roadmap
The Government of Spain has prepared the "Hydrogen Road Map: a commitment to renewable hydrogen", approved in October 2020. This document sets ambitious objectives to position the country as a reference in the production and use of renewable hydrogen. By 2030, it aims to achieve a production capacity of 4 GW through electrolysers and mobilise an estimated investment of 8.9 billion euros.
On July 30, 2024, the Spanish Council of Ministers provisionally authorized Enagas Hydrogen Infrastructure to develop several European Projects of Common Interest (PCI) related to hydrogen networks. These projects include two hydrogen storage facilities in Spain: "H2 storage North-1" in Cantabria and "H2 storage North-2" in the Basque Country.
In line with this strategy, Enagas has planned investments of more than €4 billion up to 2030, the majority of which will go to hydrogen infrastructure. These investments include its participation in the H2Med corridor and the development of a hydrogen network in Spain. The company has recently obtained funding of 75 million euros from the European Union to promote these strategic projects, within the "Connect Europe" initiative (CEF), which seeks to strengthen energy security and the integration of renewable energies in the continent.
These joint efforts between the public and private sectors seek to promote the energy transition and consolidate Spain as a leader in the field of green hydrogen.