The member companies of Grande Region Hydrogen have been given a boost from the EU: The European Commission announced in a letter that the projects “mosaHYc”, “Emil‘Hy”, “CarlHYng” and “H2V Thionville” are now on the list of “Projects of Common Interest”, or PCI list, a series of projects the EU considers key to the development of cross-border energy infrastructure.
The addition of these projects to the current PCI list underscores the special role played by the emerging hydrogen economy in the SaarLorLux border region.
Grande Region Hydrogen (GRH) is a common economic area for hydrogen that includes Saarland (Germany), Lorraine (Grand Est, France) and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and is the very example of cross-border cooperation in the energy sector currently being called for and funded by the EU. That four projects by member companies of GRH are now on the PCI list underscores the cross-border significance of both the projects and GRH.
The current PCI list contains a total of 85 projects on carbon storage and, for the first time, 65 projects on hydrogen infrastructure and electrolyzers. The next step is for the EU Commission to submit the PCI list to the European Parliament as well as the European Council for approval – a process for which these bodies have two to four months.
The advantages the projects have from being listed include reduced timeframes for reviewing environmental impact and defined procedures for dividing investment costs between the Member States that would benefit from the project.
With the infrastructure project mosaHYc (Moselle–Saar Hydrogen Conversion), the network operators Creos (Germany) and GRTgaz (France) in cooperation with Encevo (Luxembourg) are looking to establish a hydrogen pipeline in the Greater Region totaling about 90 kilometers in length. The distribution network would enter service in 2027. Although the pipeline sections in the Saarland are
already prenotified as part of an “Important Project of Common European Interest” (IPCEI) and are slated to receive funding from Germany, PCI status now gives the French partner GRTgaz a path to apply for funding from the European Union, boosting the financing for the entire project.
With the project Emil’Hy, GazelEnergie (France) intends to build a large-scale plant in Saint-Avold to produce renewable hydrogen to repurpose its coal power plant. The project CarlHYng in Carling is also a large-scale project to produce renewable hydrogen and is being advanced by Verso Energy (France). The H2V Thionville project is dedicated to the massive production of green hydrogen by electrolysis of water using renewable or low-carbon electricity.
All three projects will be connected to the mosaHYc hydrogen network operated by GRTgaz and Creos Deutschland GmbH.
“Grande Region Hydrogen EEIG” grouping
The European economic interest grouping “Grande Region Hydrogen EEIG” (GRH) is pursuing the goal of developing a hydrogen economic system in the Greater Region of Saarland, Grand Est, and Luxembourg. It represents the entire value chain of a hydrogen economy and unifies hydrogen projects by producers, consumers, and infrastructure operators. In doing so, it is laying the groundwork for a sustainable hydrogen economy in the Greater Region and is actively contributing toward national and European decarbonization targets.
GRH was founded in August 2021 and currently consists of the following partners: Creos Deutschland GmbH, Encevo S.A., GazelEnergie, GRTgaz, H2V, HDF Energy, Iqony, Nemak Dillingen, SHS – Stahl- Holding-Saar, RWE, Verso Energy, and Villeroy & Boch.
Press release https://is.gd/16GvrW