Catalan foreign minister travels to Marseille to defend H2Med green energy pipeline

Catalan foreign minister Meritxell Serret was in Marseille on Monday to express the government's willingness to help build the H2Med green energy pipeline between Barcelona and the southern French city.

Serret, who attended the 'Méditerranée du Futur' global warming adaptation event, met with different actors involved in the construction of what up until now has been known as the BarMar, including representatives of companies such as Capenergies, GRTgaz or Géométhane.

According to the foreign minister, these meetings have helped "reinforce" the Catalan government's "desire to cooperate" with the aim of "making the creation of this ecosystem, of the entire green hydrogen economy and the necessary energy transition, possible."

The Catalan politician also met with authorities from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur who organized the 'Méditerranée du Futur' event. 

Green hydrogen pipeline

Portugal, Spain, and France announced plans to build an underwater green energy pipeline in October.

According to Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, the pipeline will take five to seven years to be completed and will also be used to transport gas and electricity.

Plans were made public not long after French president Emmanuel Macron rejected extending the unfinished MidCat pipeline, a project both Catalan and Spanish authorities had lobbied for that would have seen African gas transported to Europe via Catalonia. 

Spanish, Portuguese, and French authorities will be meeting in Alicante on Thursday and Friday to further discuss the details of the H2Med project.