Spain’s Hydrogen Vision and Its Role in the Emerging European Hydrogen Economy

A joint online discussion organized by RIFS Potsdam (Germany) and the Elcano Royal Institute (Spain)

on 26 April 2023, 11:00 - 12:30 (CET), Zoom

With its abundant renewable energy potential and strong technical expertise, Spain is widely expected to become Europe’s leading green hydrogen producer and exporter, supplying a sizable share of the continent’s industrial demand. The original focus of the Spanish Hydrogen Strategy (2020) was mainly on the creation of hydrogen clusters to stimulate domestic economic activity, which remains an important policy priority to this day. However, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the EU’s increasingly ambitious hydrogen vision as outlined in the REPowerEU package, the external orientation of Spain’s hydrogen policy has become increasingly prominent. By contributing both to the EU’s decarbonization and its energy security - and thus to Europe’s greater geopolitical resilience - Spain is hoping to claim a more central role in the European energy system.

• What are the main drivers behind Spain’s hydrogen policy and what has changed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
• How is Spain seeking to engage with actors within and outside of the EU to promote its hydrogen vision?
• How can Spain contribute to the development of a European hydrogen economy and what are the necessary preconditions?

You are warmly invited to join us online on 26 April 2023 to debate these issues. Speakers will include Gonzalo Escribano and Ignacio Urbasos (Elcano Royal Institute), Mayte Nonay (Enagás) and Kirsten Westphal (BDEW - German Association of Energy and Water Industries & German National Hydrogen Council). The event will be moderated by Yana Zabanova (RIFS Potsdam). The Elcano Royal Institute’s contribution will draw on the RIFS/Elcano Joint Discussion Paper (April 2023): Spain’s Hydrogen Ambition: Between reindustrialisation and export-led energy integration with the EU.

Contact: Yana Zabanova (RIFS Potsdam): yana [dot] zabanova [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de (yana[dot]zabanova[at]rifs-potsdam[dot]de)

This event is the first in the RIFS online discussion series featuring the national hydrogen strategies in select European and global frontrunner countries. It is held within the framework of the project “Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation: Implications of an International Hydrogen Economy” project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

More information:

“Spain's Hydrogen Ambition: Between reindustrialization and export-led energy integration with the EU”, Presentation by Gonzalo Escribano and Ignacio Urbasos, Elcano Royal Institute

“The key role of pipeline networks in supporting the emergence of the Spanish & European H2 market”, Presentation by Mayte Nonay Domingo, Enagás