A new dispute has broken out between France, Germany and Spain overnuclear energy. Paris is angered by the lack of support from Berlin and Madrid for its efforts to have nuclear-derived hydrogen labeled“green” in European legislation. The dispute is delaying the process of implementing the new EU renewable energy directives and threatens to come into open conflict at a key summit on Thursday.
The French position
France has based its campaign on its aging nuclear fleet to produce more hydrogen to replace non-renewable polluting sources. The French objective is to have this production recognized as “clean” and included in the objectives of the European directives concerning renewable energy.
The French Minister of Energy, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, expressed her deep frustration with the behavior of some member countries towards this initiative: “These negotiations are not going well. She added: “It would be incomprehensible if Spain and Germany adopted different positions in Brussels and did not keep their commitments.
A Franco-Spanish alliance?
In October 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron validated a draft agreement for an industrial project dedicated to the massive production of hydrogen (H2Med or BarMar). This project, which will lead to the creation of a pipeline connecting Barcelona and Marseille, thus creating a Franco-Spanish alliance, was officially decreed in January 2021. Germany has just joined this consortium after having attended a meeting organized by Paris a few days ago. The goal is simple: to be able to import massively this Spanish hydrogen to compensate for the Russian gas haggling which it often suffers.
A divergence in discourse
In spite of this Franco-Spanish-German union, for a few weeks now a lively controversy has been raging around the “clean” character of this hydrogen produced thanks to French nuclear sources (red hydrogen). During the Barcelona summit, some commitments were made mentioning that this particular type of hydrogen could be classified as green if very strict conditions were respected. On their side, neither Berlin nor Madrid recognize such a promise, even claiming that neither nuclear power nor this particular type of hydrogen could be considered “clean” or “green”. Indeed, a senior Spanish politician will be even more incisive stating: “this (“Red hydrogen”) cannot be renewable because nuclear is not a ‘clean’ source. It is impossible!
The main issues concerning BarMar
The BarMar pipeline is a large-scale European project to facilitate the circulation of hydrogen (red) between France and Spain. Red hydrogen is essential to the European goals of decarbonizing heavy industry and helping the EU meet its climate targets.
At a time when the European Commission plans to invest up to €300 billion to deliver green or low-carbon hydrogen, some EU member countries fear that the current conflict could extend even beyond oil and gas. This could delay the legislation needed to achieve these goals.
The new gas market regulations, however, seek to integrate more hydrogen into this network, as well as a “hydrogen bank” to finance new projects. However, France would like its red hydrogen to be included in this bank; however, it must first and foremost be considered as renewable.
However, while the European Commission is seeking a common definition of what constitutes “renewable” hydrogen, the European Parliament has postponed negotiations on the RED-3 directive.
The French position on the BarMar blockage
The French threat is clearly visible: it would be willing to give the green light to the BarMar pipeline if it is allowed to send its red hydrogen to Iberia via this conduit. Without French approval, there can be no BarMar pipeline – which puts the French government in a strong position vis-à-vis other EU member countries. The dispute is therefore mainly based on a political question: should red hydrogen be considered as renewable?
