The aim is to create a “Hydrogen Valley for the Tuscan coast”, serving navigation, logistics and industrial plants in the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea
Livorno – Now Egypt is closer with theagreement signed by the president of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Port Authority Luciano Guerrieri with the leaders of the port of Damietta. A wide-ranging agreement signed in Brussels “to consolidate the role of the ports of Livorno and Piombino as privileged channels for energy traffic in the Euro-Mediterranean region”. An alliance announced by Guerrieri in recent weeks which was put in black and white precisely in the days in which the European Council met to vote and formalize the choice of the three names for the president of the EU Commission, the president of the EU Council and the ‘High Representative of the EU. A decision intended precisely to underline the importance of a an agreement that also had the blessing of the Ministry of Transport and the Tuscany Region and can lead to new synergies at a macro-territorial level.
“The ADSP is moving in the direction traced by the current government and its Mattei Plan – Guerrieri declared, on the sidelines of the signing – in a context of marked regionalization of commercial traffic, the port of Damietta can become a strategic partner for building new industrial supply chains on the energy front” The agreement, which has annual valueprovides for closer collaboration between the two Port Authorities on issues considered central by the EU, such as digital transformation, the development of multimodal transport, sustainable development in ports and the possibility of “make joint proposals to obtain grants from European funding programmes”. But above all, a focus on hydrogen was also identified.
“Ports are not just mere distribution points for goods, but strategic hubs in the energy ecosystem of the future, capable of connecting production, distribution and consumption in an increasingly sustainable and technologically advanced framework” is the underlying concept of the reasoning developed by President Guerrieri at the opening of the initiative. Who recalled how one of the strategic objectives of the Adsp is precisely that of creating the foundations for the birth of a “Hydrogen Valley for the Tuscan Coast”at the service of navigation, logistics and industrial plants in the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea.
From this point of view, the agreement with the port of Damietta (the vice president of the Egyptian Port Authority, Admiral Tarek Adly, was present for the signature) responds “with the aim of acquiring a strategic role in the emerging hydrogen import system from third countrieswith the consequent creation of infrastructures for storage, distribution and use”. Egypt has become one of the most important hydrogen exporting nations. The Adsp’s objective is to transform Livorno and Piombino in European gateways for the transport of liquid hydrogen from North Africa: the Tuscan port system had been previously qualified by the international consultancy firm Deloitte as a relevant “case study” for the development of hydrogen at coastal level. Now the‘Adsp will prepare a feasibility study on a Mediterranean supply chain for green hydrogenthe first results of which will be announced in November during the European Hydrogen week.
“Livorno and Piombino have all it takes to present themselves as the first Italian maritime-port hydrogen valley, focusing on the development of a complete hydrogen supply chain which will have to start from applications already in some way ready for the energy switch and then aim for longer targets period” concluded the President of the Region Eugenio Giani.
(in the cover photo from left the vice president of the Egyptian Port Authority, Admiral Tarek Adly and the president of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea ADSP, Luciano Guerrieri)
