The Natural Energy of Hydrogen “will benefit the country’s decarbonisation strategy” points out João Galamba at the ” The Natural Energy of Hydrogen ” Event.
The guarantee was given by João Galamba after the presentation, in Seixal, of the first project in Portugal for the injection of green hydrogen into the gas network.
The injection of green hydrogen into the gas network “will benefit the country’s decarbonisation strategy,” said the Deputy Secretary of State and Energy, João Galamba, this Friday in Seixal.
The municipality will have 80 residential, tertiary and industrial customers involved in the pioneering project from 2022.
In his speech at the session, which took place in the Auditorium at the Operational Services complex of the Seixal City Council, João Galamba considered that Portugal must continue to focus heavily on alternative energies in order to become increasingly self-sufficient.
“If Portuguese companies and energy consumers want to eliminate the volatility, risk and uncertainty that comes with the total and absolute dependence on the foreign market for products that we do not control, the best way is to focus on renewables. Whether it be electricity or gas, regardless of the environmental and economic advantages involved when we replace an expensive and polluting import with a potentially cheaper endogenous resource, it is an advantage that must be used and exploited to the full by our country,” he said.
The Deputy Secretary of State for Energy argues that this is the way forward to overcome the “turbulence” that exists in the energy sector.
He stressed that the programme called ” The Natural Energy of Hydrogen ” goes beyond local and national borders.
“This project has a learning and knowledge acquisition component of utmost importance for all the companies involved that are located throughout the whole country. It will benefit the country’s decarbonisation strategy, and it is a pilot and local project with a scope and implications of national and even international importance. What is done here will benefit not only Portugal but also other countries that also learn from us,” he said.
“The government’s response to this turbulence is not to question the energy transition, nor to think about whether we are going too fast. It is quite the opposite. All the problems we have are due only to the fact that we still do not have enough renewables to protect us from these storms. Our response to the turbulence we are experiencing today is very simple: accelerate, accelerate, accelerate. Simplify, cut red tape and help. The best response the country can give in the medium/long term is to get as quickly as possible the highest number of renewables into all areas of our energy sector – not only in electricity, but also in the natural gas sector,” he stated.
In addition to João Galamba, the event was attended by the Mayor of Seixal, Joaquim Santos, the managing director of the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology, João Bernardo, and the member of the Executive Committee of the Innovation Support Fund, Bruno Veloso.
The Natural Energy of Hydrogen, led by Galp Gás Natural Distribuição (GGND), involves several partners, from engineering to construction, as well as contributions from academia and public and private institutions. Green hydrogen, a 100%-renewable fuel, is to be produced in the Seixal Industrial Park through a partnership between GGND and the Portuguese company Gestene.
At an early stage of the project, 2% hydrogen will be injected into the natural gas network. This percentage will gradually be increased to a maximum of 20% over a two-year period. Todo o processo será monitorizado e acompanhado em detalhe por um grupo de especialistas, para que este projeto possa servir de exemplo de boas práticas, para outros projetos que certamente irão decorrer no futuro, tanto a nível nacional como internacional.
NOTE: Text published by Observador on 15 October 2021 and updated on 2 February 2022 with relevant information by GGND.
