Cepsa Intends to Build Spain-Morocco Hydrogen Pipeline

Rabat – CEO of Spanish energy company Cepsa Maarten Wetselaar has announced plans to build a pipeline to export hydrogen to Morocco.

The pipeline is expected to connect Cespa’s San Roque refinery in Cadiz to Morocco.

According to Spanish daily newspaper El Economista, Wetselaar shared Cespa’s future plans on Wednesday during a “New Economy Forum.”

As Cespa works on increasing the exportation of sustainable energy products to Europe such as hydrogen, the company plans on boosting its traditional fuel exports to Africa.

However, the high prices of hydrogen fuel make it less competitive compared to traditional fuel sources.

To lower the cost of hydrogen fuel, Wetselaar urged European governments to introduce regulatory support to accelerate the development of the sector, adding that “we do not have 20 years as in the case of solar or wind [technologies].”

Although Morocco remains a net energy importer, the North African country has the potential to emerge as a global supplier of clean hydrogen by 2030, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said in January.

The agency further stated that countries such as Chile, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States share similar potential as Morocco based on their low-production costs and their established renewable energy production capacities. Yet Morocco’s ambitions are more likely to face the obstacle of low technological innovation compared to other countries on the list.

In 2019, Morocco established its National Hydrogen Commission which issued a two-year green hydrogen roadmap. The objective is to supply the national market with 4 terawatt-hours and the international market with 10 terawatt-hours by 2030.

This month, Morocco will participate in the Green Hydrogen Global Assembly on May 17-18 in Barcelona. Co-hosted by Spain, the event intends to launch “groundbreaking new green hydrogen initiatives” to consolidate global energy security and promote cleaner energy solutions.

The international shift towards green and renewable energies opens new opportunities for Morocco as an emerging green energy supplier. However, Morocco has to focus on developing its technological capabilities to catch up with the current race for sustainable technologies.