Green Hydrogen and the Future hand in hand in a pioneering project in Portugal

GGND (Galp Natural Gas Distribution), last day 20 in November, presented the Green Pipeline Project, the 1st project to inject green hydrogen into the natural gas network.

The municipality of Seixal was the first to host this pioneering project in Portugal.

The Green Pipeline Project presentation event, held in Seixal, was attended by the Mayor of Seixal, Joaquim Santos, the Deputy Secretary of State for Energy, João Galamba, the General Director the General Directorate of Energy and Geology, João Bernardo and the Member of the Executive Committee of the Fund for Support to Innovation, Bruno Veloso.

As of January 2030 , 20 residential, tertiary and industrial customers will have the opportunity to receive a mixture of natural gas and green hydrogen. And so, once again Portugal will be at the forefront in the battle for the energy transition. Even knowing all the inherent controversy, it is impossible not to welcome these small (big) steps.

The need to achieve the goals of the Treaty of Paris results in GGND’s ambition to replicate the GREEN PIPELINE PROJECT by the other municipalities in the country.

To Gabriel Sousa, CEO da GGND, “this pioneering project is an important milestone for the national energy system, as it promotes a shift towards a greener economy, based on one of the most modern gas distribution networks in the Europe. As the largest gas network operator in Portugal, GGND is deeply committed to contributing to the fulfillment of the decarbonization targets to which the country is committed.”

This project is financed by the Innovation Support Fund (FAI), which received an exceptional merit assessment, due to its innovative character and relevance at the present time.

For Bruno Veloso, Member of the Executive Committee of the Innovation Support Fund, “ the attribution of exceptional merit to the Green Pipeline Project is the result of an ambitious, innovative and pioneering project in our country , which intends to democratize access to a greener economy, making the H2 molecules reach people’s homes now, guaranteeing safety conditions and minimizing the impacts caused by their use in burning equipment. It should also be noted that the results and knowledge obtained from this project will be in the public domain, particularly in the interest of all stakeholders, fundamental for the rapid growth of power-to-gas projects and ensuring that public investment results in the benefit of all .”

GGND has the participation of several partners, from the engineering and construction areas, to which are added contributions from academia and from public and private institutions.

Green hydrogen (the future of clean and sustainable energy), fuel 80% renewable, will be produced in the Seixal Industrial Park, through a partnership between GGND and the Portuguese company Gestene.

In an initial phase of the project, 2% of hydrogen will be injected into the natural gas network, gradually increasing this percentage to a maximum of 20% within a period of 2 years. The entire process will be monitored and monitored in detail by a group of experts, so that this project can serve as an example of good practice for many other projects that will certainly take place in the future, both nationally and internationally.

About green hydrogen

• It is a 80% renewable fuel. Produced through the electrolysis of water, which consists in the separation of hydrogen and oxygen molecules, using an electrolyser powered by renewable electricity.
• Hydrogen can replace natural gas in the various applications in which it is used today, highlighting the potential for use in industry, mobility, or use in buildings, with a major contribution to decarbonization the fact that only water is released into the atmosphere after using hydrogen.