The Gas No Es Solution network warns that producing green hydrogen in the quantities projected by Enagás in its proposal for the development of the Spanish green hydrogen backbone infrastructure would imply a massive implementation of renewable energy projects with their consequent environmental, social and territorial impacts.
April 30, 2024 was the deadline set by the Royal Decree-Law 8/2023 for Enagás to present to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (Miteco) a non-binding proposal for the development of the Spanish backbone infrastructure of the hydrogen. The objective of the first axes of this network would be to connect the national supply and demand of green hydrogen by the 2030 horizon, in addition to linking the production centers of the Iberian Peninsula with the H2Med corridor, for long-distance transport to central European countries.
The forecasts for hydrogen
Enagás had previously presented this project, which on April 8 was included in the latest list of EU Projects of Common Interest. The company, on its second hydrogen day, justified the need for its construction based on the results of a call for interest that it made in the last quarter of 2023 to all agents in the sector, according to which the company’s forecasts were confirmed. company on the future national renewable hydrogen production capacity. It should be emphasized that two of the three scenarios considered are well above the forecasts of the draft update of the Comprehensive National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC)with 23.3 and 74.3 GW of installed electrolysis capacity, compared to the 11 GW of the PNIEC.
However, Gas No Es Solution points out that “The current Spanish reality reflects a very different situation and far from the company’s forecasts. In the country there are only 33 MW of electrolyzers in operation and 120 MW under construction, which shows that we are still facing a immature technology in terms of large-scale production and, therefore, also in terms of transportation and storage.”
”A level of green hydrogen production such as that planned by Enagás, would imply a massive implementation of large-scale renewable energy projectswith possible environmental, social and territorial impactsin addition to a demand for large quantities of water for use in electrolyzers,” states the network. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, more than 46% of the projects planned in Spain are likely to be located in areas of great water scarcity between now and 2040.
To the above, they add “the challenges from a technical point of view, since the project involves the adaptation of many existing gas pipelines to transport hydrogen and the technologies to do so are not currently developed on a large scale. It should be remembered that the different physicochemical properties of hydrogen compared to fossil gas imply an increased risk of leakswith the consequent serious repercussions on the climate, since the hydrogen is an indirect greenhouse gas”. Furthermore, due to its inclusion in the PCI list, the project could benefit from less strict environmental controls, reduction of deadlines for public consultations and positive silencesby the administration, among others.
From the Gas network it is not a Solution they recognize that Renewable hydrogen is called to play a role in the process of decarbonization of the economy, but it must be qualified and limited, especially in economic terms. We cannot expect to expand its use in a general way without first making a critical reflection on the context in which we find ourselves. They affirm that “it is essential an analysis of current and medium-term demand by sectorand guarantee that renewable hydrogen production projects are aligned with the needs of the territorieswhere they want to be implemented, as well as with their capabilities. It is necessary to establish planning that, adopting a prioritization and hierarchization approach, clearly defines where to produce renewable hydrogen and what uses are viable and should be a priority.”
On the other hand, they remember that “it must prioritize the use of green hydrogen in sectors such as metallurgy – and the steel industry in particular – as well as those difficult to electrify and foresee the progressive dismantling of industries in sectors such as refining and the chemical fertilizer industry”. Likewise, given the difficulties associated with long-distance transportation of green hydrogen from an economic, environmental, technical and energy efficiency perspective, “it must be prioritize local production and consumption, respecting the needs and capacities of the territories.”
Furthermore, the Gas network is not a Solution, remember that today The need to develop a network for the exclusive transport of hydrogen over medium and long distances has not been demonstrated.. These large infrastructures run the risk of not being necessary in the future, remaining oversized, not amortized and not responding to the needs of the energy transition.
