Hydrogen gains momentum in the Basque Country

The Basque Hydrogen Strategy was presented in Spring 2021. Its purpose is to promote the creation of a hydrogen production, distribution and consumption ecosystem in the Basque Country based on the country’s industrial, logistical and technological capabilities. The guideline objectives set for the strategy are:

• To create a robust and sustainable local market, boosting renewable, low-carbon hydrogen production and stimulating domestic demand.

• To make hydrogen a viable decarbonization tool for Basque industry and other hard-to-decarbonise energy consumption sectors, such as transport.

• To deploy a storage, transportation and distribution infrastructure to support the development of the local market, and to provide the basis for the establishment of a future logistics centre for international hydrogen trade.

• To stimulate training, R&D and industrial development in order to position the country as a technology exporter in a market that is expected to grow at a constant rate.

The strategy includes an Action Plan with 58 proposed lines of action. These are structured into six central themes, with a series of targets to be met by 2030.

The most important instrument for achieving the strategy’s goals is the Basque Hydrogen Corridor (BH2C), an association created in November 2021 with 78 organizations, including institutions, companies, research centres, universities, etc., through which a public-private partnership strategy is being developed. The Basque Country has a long and successful tradition with such partnerships.

The BH2C includes 38 projects extending to all areas of the hydrogen value chain: production, transport and distribution, usage, product and component development, and even an inter-university training project, now into its second year.

Though the list of projects is too long to present here, two noteworthy projects were named IPCEIs (Important Projects of Common European Interest) last summer. The first involves the design, construction and operation of a 100 MW electrolysis plant, which will produce renewable hydrogen to decarbonize the refinery process at the Petronor plant near Bilbao. The second entails setting up an electrolyser factory in the Basque Country and is led by the engineering firm Sener.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that on 26 October 2022, during European Hydrogen Week in Brussels, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership awarded the Basque Hydrogen Corridor ‘European H2 Valley of the Year’.

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This best practice is issued from our publication “Sustainable Regions in Action 2023”. Find out more by clicking here to discover many more best practices from FEDARENE members as well as an overview of our activities.