King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited the city of Cadiz in southwestern Spain on Wednesday to support a project to create a green hydrogen corridor.
The green hydrogen corridor is expected to take the fuel from the nearby port of Algeciras to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for distribution throughout Northern Europe.
The project is implemented by the Spain-based multinational oil and gas company Cepsa in partnership with Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA), part of Norwegian ammonia and fertilizer manufacturer Yara, and multinational energy network operator Gasunie. The hydrogen corridor will help decarbonize industry in Europe and boost the European Union's (EU) energy independence.
The continent's largest green hydrogen project to date will cost 3 billion euros (3.25 billion U.S. dollars), create around 10,000 jobs (many of which will be in an area of high unemployment in southwestern Spain) and produce 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Marteen Wetselaar, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cepsa, told the Spanish TV network RTVE that the corridor will represent "a fundamental milestone" in the shift towards clean energy sources.
He explained that the company aimed to begin production in 2026 in its plant in Huelva in southwestern Spain and in Cadiz a year later. "Spain has a great opportunity to lead the energy transition," he said.
Spain's Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera commented on social media that "Spain can become a reference in H2 (hydrogen) and in decarbonizing its industry and attracting new industries."
Editor: Galia
