Companies Snam SpA FollowMILAN, May 9 (Reuters) - Energy ministries of Italy, Germany and Austria have signed a joint letter of support for the development of a hydrogen-ready pipeline between North Africa and Europe, Italian gas grid operator Snam (SRG.MI) said on Tuesday. Europe is attempting to scale up its production and imports of renewable hydrogen - a fuel manufactured using renewable electricity, which countries are betting on to cut fossil fuel use in industrial processes like steel-making. The so-called SouthH2 Corridor would connect North Africa, Italy, Austria and Germany, allowing renewable hydrogen produced in the Southern Mediterranean to reach European consumers, Snam said. The 3,300-km project is led by four major European transmission system operators (TSOs): Snam, Trans Austria Gasleitung (TAG), Gas Connect Austria (GCA) and bayernets in Germany. With a hydrogen import capacity of more than 4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) from North Africa, the pipeline could deliver 40% of an EU hydrogen import target set for 2030, and could be operational by as early as that year, Snam said.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 09, 2023 22:13 UTC