After a year of negotiations, on the sidelines of the Energy Council in Brussels, Rome, Vienna and Berlin signed a declaration of intent for the development of the Southern Hydrogen Corridor, the so-called ‘SoutH2 Corridor’. Three thousand kilometers of gas pipelines will therefore be reconverted for the passage of hydrogen to connect North Africa (where the majority of green hydrogen will be produced) first with Italy and then with Austria and Germany.
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The impressive infrastructure will contribute to achieving the objectives of the RepowerEu Plan, which include the import of 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030. “The one signed by Minister Pichetto Fratin with his counterparts from Germany and Austria for the construction of the The Southern Hydrogen Corridor – explains the Vice President of the Environment, Territory and Public Works Commission of the Chamber, Francesco Battistoni – is a strategic agreement reached on the sidelines of the EU Energy Council in Brussels and goes in the direction traced by the Government and the Minister Pichetto to create broad synergies that are functional to the supply of clean energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels”.
What is SouthH2
The SoutH2 is a hydrogen gas pipeline that runs approximately 3,300 kilometers and connects North Africa, Italy, Austria and Germany. The African section will connect Sicily to the existing gas pipelines that reach Tunisia from the Algerian fields. Structures acquired last year by Eni and Snam. The two Italian multinationals are among the main partners of the project together with around twenty companies, in particular Austrian and German. Renewable hydrogen (therefore created from solar and wind, at least according to the premises) would be largely produced in North Africa. From here, the gas would flow towards Sicily and then reach Taranto (a node that could connect with the energy links of the Balkans), northern Italy, Austria and Germany.
Green light for the maxi hydrogen corridor between Italy and Germany (with production in Africa)
According to estimates from the consortium that is carrying out the work, 70% of the project should involve the reconversion of existing infrastructure, which should speed up the work and reduce costs. If the European Commission has set the objective for 2030 for at least 20 million tonnes of hydrogen to flow into EU networks, the production potential of this gas in North Africa (from Morocco to Egypt) is estimated at 50 million tonnes . SoutH2 expects to “cover more than 20% of the production target” of hydrogen set by Brussels, wrote Piero Ercoli of Snam in Rivista Energia. “This is a work capable of providing a concrete solution to the industries located in Northern Italy, Austria and Southern Germany, which to date have not been served by hydrogen development plans which, thanks to the large renewable resources available especially in the sea of the North, are focused on the north and north-west of Europe”.
