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Power struggle
IN an escalating disagreement over hydrogen production methods, Spain has issued a stern warning to France.
While Spain has been exporting excess electricity to its neighbour to support their domestic needs, it refuses to continue doing so if the electricity is going to be used for generating nuclearbased hydrogen, also known as ‘pink hydrogen’.
Spain champions renewable green hydrogen derived from sources like wind and solar power, and rejects classifying nuclear hydrogen as green.
France has been successful in advocating for nuclearbased hydrogen, even allowing it to be transported through the BarcelonaMarseille submarine cable as part of the H2Med project. Spain, however, firmly believes that only hydrogen derived from renewable sources should be considered truly green.
Environmental Minister Teresa Ribera emphasised Spain’s position during a meeting in Malta with Mediterranean EU countries on Thursday, May 18. She stressed the importance of transitioning to green hydrogen and investing in offshore wind and solar parks. Spain has become a major exporter of electricity to France due to the latter’s nuclear plant shutdowns and energy disputes.
