Green hydrogen: TE H2 enters into a cooperation with VERBUND for a large project in Tunisia
TE H2, a joint venture between TotalEnergies, EREN Groupe and VERBUND, Austria’s leading electricity company, have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Republic of Tunisia to explore the implementation of a large-scale green hydrogen project called “H2 Notos” for export via pipelines to Central Europe.
H2 Notos plans to produce green hydrogen using electrolysers powered by large onshore wind and solar projects and supplied with desalinated water. The project is expected to produce around 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year in the initial phase, with the potential to increase production in southern Tunisia to 1 million tonnes per year. The project will have access to the European market via the “SoutH2 Corridor”, a hydrogen pipeline project that connects North Africa with Italy, Austria and Germany, and is expected to go into operation around 2030.
Together with VERBUND, TE H2 will manage the development, financing, construction and operation of the integrated project from the generation of green electricity to the production of green hydrogen. VERBUND will additionally coordinate the transport of the hydrogen produced to Central Europe.
David Corchia, CEO of TE H2: “After months of work and dialogue with all stakeholders, the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Tunisia marks the actual launch of this highly ambitious project. We are delighted to be partnering with VERBUND to support the realisation of such a pioneering and ambitious project at such a strategic location. H2 Notos has the potential to become a major supplier of green hydrogen for Europe and at the same time to promote extensive job creation in Tunisia. We are now entering a phase of greenfield development and extensive technical work to test project feasibility; we need to deepen the highly constructive and fruitful cooperation we have had with the national and local authorities through H2 Notos.”
Fatma Thabet Chiboub, Tunisian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy: “This historic agreement with TE H2 and VERBUND marks a decisive step forward in our quest for clean, sustainable energy. Tunisia, which is firmly committed to its energy transition, sees this project as a strategic turning point to strengthen its attractiveness as a destination of choice for foreign investment in renewable forms of energy.”
Michael Strugl, CEO of VERBUND AG, added: “Tunisia is a particularly important upstream region in terms of scalability and competitiveness, as well as a key component of VERBUND’s hydrogen plans. We have set ourselves the goal of supplying European industry with green hydrogen. By combining the competitive production of green hydrogen in Tunisia with pipeline-based transport, we can ensure a long-term supply on a large scale to support a sustainable transition to green hydrogen for our customers and sustainable economic development in Tunisia. We are delighted to be working with a strong consortium capable of realising projects in the green hydrogen sector and look forward to developing them in partnership and in close cooperation with the authorities and the Tunisian people.”
About TE H2
TE H2, an 80/20 joint venture created by TotalEnergie and EREN Groupe, specialises in the development and structuring of large-scale green hydrogen projects in world-class locations with exceptional renewable resources, such as North Africa, Latin America and Australia. TE H2 comprises a team of experts with extensive expertise in the development, construction and operation of wind and solar projects around the world. With a combination of expertise and experience, TE H2 aims at creating impactful renewable energy projects around the world that provide affordable, sustainable, reliable and accessible energy to as many people as possible.
About VERBUND
VERBUND Green Hydrogen GmbH is part of VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy company and one of the largest generators of electricity from hydropower in Europe. The company generates around 98 percent of its electricity from renewables, primarily hydropower. VERBUND trades in electricity in 12 countries and achieved an annual turnover of approximately 2,266 million euros and an EBITDA of around 4,490 million euros in 2023 with around 3,800 employees. With its subsidiaries and partners, VERBUND is active in the segments of electricity generation, transport and international trade and distribution. VERBUND has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1988, with 51% of the share capital held by the Republic of Austria. VERBUND is the decisive player for ensuring the success of the energy transition in Austria. The challenges this involves require the entire company to take a unified approach, which VERBUND is driving forward with Mission V. Mission V is a long-term, comprehensive transformation programme and represents the company’s will to counteract the climate crisis in its capacity as the power behind the transition. This programme is based on the VERBUND strategy 2030 with its three directions: strengthening the integrated core market, expanding renewables in Europe and becoming established as a European hydrogen player. With Mission V, VERBUND is pushing ahead with achieving the strategic goals for 2030 and ensuring their implementation.
