Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reached an agreement on a new pipeline connecting Barcelona and Marseille under the Mediterranean Sea before to a European Union conference in Brussels.
According to Reuters, the new energy supply route, known as BarMar, is a substitute for the projected MidCat pipeline across the Pyrenees mountain range, which France reportedly objected to.
Europe has been searching for alternative energy sources since Russia drastically reduced its gas supplies as a result of sanctions imposed upon it in reaction to its invasion of Ukraine.
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After temporarily transporting a small amount of natural gas to deal with the energy crisis, the green corridor will mostly be used to pump clean and renewable hydrogen, according to Costa.
According to Reuters, Snchez stated that the pipeline is a reaction to requests for support from our European allies in the face of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s blackmail.
One-fifth of all global investment announcements for green hydrogen in the first quarter of this year came from Spain, according to international research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
According to Sanchez, the pipeline was intended to link Iberia to France and the European energy market. This was stated in an interview with The Associated Press.
The three leaders agreed that BarMar was the most effective and direct way to link the Iberian Peninsula with Central Europe.
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The Energy Corridor Agreed Upon Agreement
According to Teresa Ribera, Spain’s energy minister, “Barcelona-Marseille is a great choice that fosters solidarity and commitment to renewables,” she tweeted.
Since there isn’t a pipeline infrastructure to transfer the gas to central Europe’s needy areas, the Iberian peninsula’s gas storage facilities are full, according to Reuters. As a result, gas prices have dropped to their lowest levels in nearly six months.
In addition to the BarMar pipeline, The Associated Press said that France and Spain also agreed to speed up a shared electricity link that passes through the Bay of Biscay and strengthen other energy connections the two nations share.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, the BarMar project might potentially include electrical connections.
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There was no time frame or cost estimate given for the project.
Sánchez and Macron announced that the three leaders will get together once more to conclude the initiative on December 8 and 9 in Alicante, Spain.
According to Euronews, Snchez stated that this is excellent news for Europe before the conference. This cooperation is consistent with our move toward sustainability.
