TE H2 partners with Verbund on a green hydrogen project in Tunisia

TE H2, a joint-venture between TotalEnergies and Eren Groupe, together with Verbund, Austria’s leading electricity company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Tunisia to study the implementation of a large green hydrogen project named “H2 Notos” for export to Central Europe through pipelines.

H2 Notos aims to produce green hydrogen using electrolysers powered by large onshore wind and solar projects and supplied with desalinated sea water. The project aims to produce 200,000 tons of green hydrogen annually during its initial phase, with the potential to scale up production to one million tons per year in South Tunisia. The project will have access to the European market through the “SoutH2 Corridor”, a hydrogen pipeline project connecting North Africa to Italy, Austria, and Germany, which is expected to be commissioned around 2030.

TE H2, together with Verbund, will be leading the development, financing, construction, and operation of the integrated project from production of green electricity to production of green hydrogen. In addition, Verbund will coordinate the transport of the produced hydrogen towards Central Europe.

David Corchia, CEO of TE H2, said: “The signing of this MoU with the Republic of Tunisia marks the actual start of this highly ambitious project after months of work and interactions with all stakeholders. We are delighted to partner with Verbund to support the development of such a pioneering and ambitious endeavor in such a strategic location. H2 Notos has the potential to become a significant supplier of green hydrogen for Europe while fostering significant jobs creation in Tunisia. We are entering into a phase of greenfield development and major technical work to assess the feasibility of the project and we will need to further deepen the highly constructive and fruitful collaboration we have enjoyed with the national and local authorities through H2 Notos.”

Fatma Thabet Chiboub, Tunisia’s Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, stated: “This agreement with TE H2 and Verbund marks a significant step forward in our quest for clean, sustainable energy. Tunisia, firmly committed to its energy transition, sees in this project a strategic pivot to strengthen its attractiveness as a destination of choice for foreign investment in renewable energies.”

Michael Strugl, CEO of Verbund AG, added: “Tunisia is a particularly important upstream region in terms of scalability and competitiveness and a significant part of Verbund’s hydrogen plans. We have set ourselves the goal of supplying the European industry with green hydrogen. By combining competitive hydrogen production in Tunisia and pipeline-based transportation, we can ensure a long-term supply at scale to support a sustainable transition of our customers to green hydrogen as well as support a sustainable economic development in Tunisia. We are delighted to be working with a strong consortium capable of realizing GW-scale projects and look forward to developing them in partnership and close collaboration with the Tunisian authorities and population.”

Read also: Decarbonizing refineries: TotalEnergies launches a call for the supply of green hydrogen