Global Gateway, the Southern Hydrogen Corridor is the EU’s “flagship project”

The Southern Hydrogen Corridor has been included in the EU's list of flagship projects for 2025 under the Global Gateway initiative. It will transport low-carbon hydrogen from North Africa to Europe, through Italy

The Southern Hydrogen Corridor has been added to the list of “flagship projects” funded by the European Union under the Global Gateway initiative for 2025. The new pipeline, which will transport hydrogen from North Africa to Europe through Italy, will benefit from EU investments, guarantees, and incentives.

What is the Southern Hydrogen Corridor?

The Southern Hydrogen Corridor (South H2 Corridor) is an infrastructure project designed to transport hydrogen from North Africa to Europe. The idea is to leverage Algeria’s renewable energy potential alongside its role as a fossil gas exporter to supply Europe with a mix of low-carbon gas and hydrogen, supporting the continent’s decarbonization efforts.

Currently, the project plans to connect Algeria and Tunisia with Sicily, serving as the entry point into the European Union. The pipeline would then run across Italy and eventually reach Austria and Germany (possibly with an additional branch to Switzerland).

In total, the route spans 3,300 km and will use a combination of adapted gas pipelines and new installations. In Europe, the project is divided into four segments, each assigned to a different national operator:

• Snam for Italy
• Trans Austria Gasleitung (TAG) and Gas Connect Austria (GCA) in Austria
• Bayernets in Germany.

At full capacity, the “hydrogen-ready” pipeline is expected to have a nominal capacity of 4 million tonnes per year, which represents 40% of the EU’s target for imported hydrogen by 2030. However, at present, Algeria and Tunisia do not have significant renewable energy capacity or hydrogen production facilities, apart from a few pilot projects.

Inclusion of the South H2 Corridor in Global Gateway

The Southern Hydrogen Corridor had already been included in the list of projects of European interest. Its inclusion in the Global Gateway initiative now provides even more momentum to the project.

Global Gateway is an initiative aimed at mobilizing €300 billion by 2027 for global connectivity projects. It is Brussels’ response to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy. In practical terms, it guarantees public investments and more favorable conditions to attract private investments, for example, by providing European guarantees and lowering investment risk.

Roadmap for 2025

According to the European Commission’s document on Global Gateway flagship projects for 2025, the Southern Hydrogen Corridor should meet three milestones by 2025:

• By mid-2025, the preparation of a joint political declaration of intent with Tunisia and Algeria on cooperation for the development of the South H2 Corridor.
• By the end of 2025, the development of a scoping report for the South H2 Corridor.
• By the end of 2025, the implementation of the hydrogen infrastructure connection between Italy and Tunisia to achieve the status of Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) under the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) regulation in the seventh PCI/PMI list.

Flagship Projects of Global Gateway for 2025

The sectors identified as central to the European strategy of Global Gateway include digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education, and research.

The list of flagship projects for 2025 includes 46 initiatives, more than half (25, or over 54%) of which are related to climate and energy. There are 4 hydrogen-related projects (8.7%), including the development of green hydrogen projects in Argentina, Morocco, and Namibia.

Table 1: Global Gateway 2025 Projects by Sector

From a geographical perspective, the largest share of projects funded by Global Gateway is located in Africa (18, nearly 40%). This is followed by Latin America (15%), and Asia (just under 11%), while 11 projects (23%) involve connectivity between multiple global regions.

Table 2: Distribution of Projects by Continent