Spanish gas grid operator Enagas has outlined plans to invest more than €800mn ($805mn) in dedicated hydrogen infrastructure and production projects as part of a plan to position itself as a “reference hydrogen network operator” by 2030.

The company plans to spend €670mn—including €235mn by 2026—on hydrogen infrastructure for projects in Spain including the Hydeal hub and the Catalina green hydrogen facility. The investment will also be aimed at connections to the transport network and at the development of new hydrogen storage facilities, the company says in a strategy update.

Separately, the company’s renewables arm, Enagas Renovable, plans to invest €205mn in 30 green hydrogen projects and on decarbonisation in the period to 2030. The Clean H2 Infra Fund, which is managed by Hy24—a joint venture between French asset manager Ardian and hydrogen investment company FiveT—is taking a 30pc stake in Enagas Renovable in a deal that is expected to close this month.

“The new strategic plan is built on the conviction that Europe is going to make its commitment to the creation of a genuine market for renewable gases a reality because the EU has the industrial capacity, learning curves and economies of scale that are going to make hydrogen competitive sooner than expected and, above all, the political will and determination to promote it, through the necessary regulation,” says Enagas CEO Arturo Gonzalo.

Spending on dedicated hydrogen infrastructure forms part of a wider €1.78bn investment package to 2030 that includes readying the company’s natural gas network to take up to 3pc hydrogen.

Gonzalo stressed the need for regulation of infrastructure to keep pace with the transition, especially increased use of hydrogen.

“The new energy paradigm requires regulatory actions to accelerate the energy transition and facilitate the optimal contribution of infrastructures to energy security in Spain and Europe,” he said.

From 2027, Spanish regulation will be reset for new renewable gas networks, especially hydrogen, according to Enagas.

“The company is actively working to anticipate this new regulatory framework, for which it will be essential to promote integrated planning of the electricity, gas and hydrogen networks,” the firm says.

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Author: Stuart Penson