Green hydrogen in Atlantic Area ports: first concrete results of the European HYDEA project

The HYDEA project, led by our center and funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area 2021-2027 program, was born to boost the transition to hydrogen in the ports of the Atlantic Area. One year after its launch, the 10 partners from Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain presented the first concrete results: the creation of an interactive map of the main hydrogen initiatives in the Atlantic Area ports, the identification of the most promising hydrogen applications, bottlenecks and opportunities in the ports of Brest, Leixões, Vigo and Seville, and the organization of international discussions on safety and security issues.

Interactive map of major hydrogen initiatives available

This map contains information on the main present and planned hydrogen-related initiatives in the ports of the Atlantic Area regions, and serves to locate the main projects, their characteristics and the partners involved. It provides a comprehensive overview of the role that ports are taking in the hydrogen economy and an insight into the project models that are being implemented. The information on this map is completed with partner searches, but also with information from promoters who want to make their respective projects more visible. It is available free of charge at https://www.eu-hydea.eu/resources/

Opportunities identified in Atlantic Area ports

The first step was to identify the most promising green hydrogen technologies and applications, based on statistical analysis of the literature that considers critical aspects such as cost, energy efficiency and decarbonization effects. Subsequently, significant work was carried out to describe the main technical, economic, social and regulatory barriers to the implementation of hydrogen-based infrastructures at ports in the study regions. This work was based on literature review and expert knowledge. A study was then carried out to identify opportunities for the development of the hydrogen economy in the ports of Brest, Leixões, Vigo and Seville, considering their dependence on hydrogen value chains. All this work has resulted in public reports that can be downloaded from the HYDEA project website.

ð More information: https://www.eu-hydea.eu/resources/

International discussions on safety issues in October 2024

To achieve the goal of greener shipping, ports, shipping companies and energy industries must work together to align their own transition plan, with realistic steps covering the maturity of new green fuels, the availability of an energy distribution network and adequate shipping fleets. Indeed, there are several strategic challenges that need to be identified, discussed and mitigated. Therefore, it is important to organize events to build a common vision and framework to establish a shared roadmap for all European stakeholders. HYDEA has been in close collaboration with three European sister projects- GREEN SUPPLY CHAINS, NORTH SEA H2 VALLEY PORTS, DIOL. the HYDEA partners are organizing a workshop and open discussion on October 16, 2024 in Brest, France, during the international Sea Tech Week event.

ð More information on these events at: https://www.eu-hydea.eu/news/