The Government has begun preparations to approve in the coming months a draft bill specifically for renewable hydrogenThe aim is to regulate this new energy vector and achieve a significant leap forward in its deployment in Spain. The regulation, which will transpose the European hydrogen legislation package, seeks to establish a stable framework that facilitates investment and long-term planning.
According to the third vice president and minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, the future law will create a national hydrogen system and a regulated market for this gas and other renewable fuels, with the aim of boosting demand, strengthening industrial competitiveness and providing effective tools to deploy the necessary infrastructure.
A preliminary draft for a national hydrogen system and a regulated market…
During the inauguration of the 4th Enagás Hydrogen DayAagesen explained that the preliminary draft will address the full transposition of the European hydrogen packageso that Spain has clear and consistent rules with the rest of the European Union. The intention is to structure a national system that regulates the production, transport, storage, and consumption of renewable hydrogen and other green gases.
The new legal framework aims to offer “greater visibility and greater stability, in the medium and long term” to businesses and investors, so that decision-making can be accelerated and regulatory uncertainties reduced. The minister stressed that this stability will be key for the various energy markets to gradually adapt to the introduction of new renewable energy sources, integrating them into current supply and demand dynamics.
With this initiative, the Executive intends consolidate the demand for green hydrogen In sectors where direct electrification is more complicated, such as certain energy-intensive industries or specific segments of heavy transport, the regulated market will serve, in the Ministry's words, to organize energy flows, improve price signals, and guarantee a competitive environment that does not depend solely on one-off subsidies.
More than 3.000 billion already mobilized and new aid of 465 million…
So far, more than 3.000 billion has been mobilized in public aid intended to boost green hydrogenincluding energy valleys and industrial projects that strengthen the value chain. These investments have enabled the launch of initiatives in different regions and consolidated Spain as an emerging player in the European market. The strategy seeks to attract private investment and accelerate the energy transitionBoosting employment and new industrial opportunities linked to clean technologies, while also strengthening the competitiveness of productive sectors that depend on sustainable energy to ensure stable growth and an economic future.
The government has also begun the public consultation process for new regulations that will mobilize at least an additional €465 million in support instruments linked to European auctions. Part of these funds will be channeled through the European Hydrogen Bank to support national projects for competitive production of renewable hydrogenreserving resources for the maritime and aviation sectors. This is intended to accelerate the transportation decarbonization, favoring stable long-term contracts and ensuring that the industry adopts sustainable fuels to reduce emissions in segments where there are still few viable alternatives.
A second block of aid, financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and the funds NextGenerationEUIt will allocate at least 50 million to electrify thermal processes and promote clean fuels in factories. The goal is to strengthen the sustainable industry, reduce emissions and consolidate a national technology chain linked to green hydrogenThese measures aim to mobilize private capital, ensure industrial competitiveness, and transform the renewable energy in an engine of stable economic growth, generating productive opportunities and guaranteeing lasting environmental progress in strategic sectors of the country.
National system of verification, sustainability and certification…
In parallel with the processing of the draft bill, the Ministry for Ecological Transition has initiated the prior public consultation to regulate national sustainability verification systems and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions applicable to biofuels, biogas, hydrogen and other renewable gaseous fuels.
This initiative is linked to the draft royal decree for the Promoting the decarbonization of transport and the development of renewable fuelsCurrently under review. The objective is to have a robust scheme that certifies the renewable origin of the gases and quantifies the associated CO₂ reductions in a homogeneous manner, avoiding the risk of greenwashing and improving the transparency of the system.
The regulations will include the creation of a comprehensive traceability and certification system for renewable gasesThis system allows for tracking a product from production to final consumption. According to Aagesen, this model will reduce audit costs compared to existing voluntary systems, while offering greater consistency and reliability throughout the entire supply chain.
A central element of this scheme will be the so-called Virtual Balance TankThis will allow the Spanish gas system to be considered in a unified, rather than fragmented, manner. In this way, all renewable and fossil gas flows can be managed within a common framework, facilitating the progressive integration of larger volumes of hydrogen and other green gases without the need to physically separate each molecule.
Electrical capacity tenders for industrial hydrogen projects
The vice president also reported that the Ministry has referred the interested parties the proposed resolution of the first tenders for access capacity to the electricity grid., announced last July. This opens a period for companies to submit appeals before the final award.
These competitions will allow reserve electrical capacity for large-scale industrial projectsSeveral of these projects are directly linked to the development of renewable hydrogen. Guaranteeing grid access facilitates the installation of large electrolyzers and other infrastructure that require a stable and competitive electricity supply, which is key to producing green hydrogen at affordable prices.
The design of these competitions seeks to prioritize initiatives with the greatest impact on decarbonization, employment and value added in the territory. In practice, this means coordinating the planning of the electricity grid with the new wave of industrial projects linked to hydrogen, avoiding bottlenecks and ensuring that the electrical infrastructure keeps pace with the investment.
Spain's role in the European hydrogen infrastructure…
The CEO Enagás He highlighted the need for a stable framework to promote large investments linked to the corridor. H2MedAccording to him, clear regulations will allow for the acceleration of strategic projects linked to green hydrogen and provide security to companies that must commit capital long-term. This certainty is key to consolidating new energy infrastructure, boosting the energy transition and to strengthen European industrial competitiveness, ensuring that technological deployment progresses sustainably and profitably for companies and territories involved in the new energy economy.
H2Med aims to become the first major European corridor of renewable hydrogenconnecting the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of the continent. The project is being developed in partnership with operators such as Terega, NaTran, REN y EMBthrough links between Portugal, Spain, and France. After the completion of underwater studies and the advancement of initial engineering, it is expected to become operational in 2032, backed by major companies interested in key infrastructure to ensure industrial decarbonizationcompetitiveness and a stable clean energy supply in Europe for the coming decades.
The Spanish strategy combines specific regulations, support programs, and technical certifications to position the country as a benchmark in renewable energy and hydrogen infrastructure. The goal is to attract investment and boost sustainable industry and accelerate emissions reductions in energy-intensive sectors. With cross-border projects and new public aid, the government aims to ensure that green hydrogen become an engine of growth and reindustrialization, guaranteeing legal certainty, environmental sustainability and lasting economic opportunities for companies, territories and workers linked to the European energy development of the near future.
