Good morning to everyone. It is a pleasure to participate once again in this annual meeting of Enagás, another year that, like the previous ones, has been marked by extraordinary complexity.
The latest evidence of this, as has already been said here today, came 10 days ago, when the gas system was put to the test and once again demonstrated that it plays a fundamental role for the security of Spain's energy system. The set of actors that make up the gas system were key in helping to restore normality to the electricity system at that time, providing the necessary gas to the natural gas combined cycle plants, which were key to the full recovery of the electricity system.
So my recognition, my gratitude to all the actors in the gas system, starting of course with the technical manager of the system and Enagás Transport, but to all of you who made it possible for the gas system to run like clockwork in those key moments. I think we can draw two very relevant conclusions from this exceptional experience.
First, as I say again, the absolutely essential role of gas infrastructure in supporting the energy system and in particular the electricity system. And the importance of remembering, as Joan said, as Cristina said, as Francisco Reinés also said, that decarbonization is a coin with two sides. On one side we have renewable electrons and on the other side renewable molecules. And having a robust, flexible system of renewable molecules is critical for decarbonization and competitiveness.
Today that system is led by the gas system, and tomorrow it will be increasingly led by renewable molecules, biomethane, of course, already doing so today, and renewable hydrogen. The roadmap for this transformation is very clear. It is a roadmap set by Europe. First, as Cristina reminded us, its closest reference is the REPowerEU plan, which the Commission announced shortly after the start of the invasion of Ukraine and which bets on strategic autonomy and for that a combination of efficiency, gas, but certainly these new renewable gases.
This roadmap has very important elements already in force. It is important to remember that. We already have in force the RED III directive, the ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime regulations, which establish concrete obligations for the different modes of transport, obligations with increasing ambition in recent years. Cristina, Paco, and Joan have already spoken about this new communication from the Commission last Tuesday. It is of transcendental importance that by the end of 2027 the import of gas from Russia ceases. It will also be a challenge that we will all undertake, and for our part, Enagás will be prepared to apply the guidelines set by the Government of Spain once the regulation or regulations that turn this communication from the Commission into law are approved.
Turning our gaze to our country, it is indisputable that the Spanish gas system is playing a leading role in the development of a European market for renewable gases. For this, the leadership of the Government of Spain through the PNIEC is essential. The PNIEC consolidates our country as one of the most committed countries at the forefront of the European Union's energy transition and assigns a leading role to renewable gases. It does so first with biomethane, with a target of 20 TWh for the year 2030, and certainly the PNIEC puts Spain at the head of the European effort to deploy a hydrogen economy with those 12 GW of installed capacity and very ambitious consumption targets that set a scenario where 74% of the hydrogen consumed by Spanish industry is green hydrogen, and in transport, 17.26% of fuels are RFNBOs, renewable fuels of non-biological origin, fundamentally green hydrogen.
In addition to the PNIEC as a great roadmap, the Ministry has shown a key commitment to boosting the guarantees of origin system, which was put into operation in 2023 at Enagás GTS by mandate of the Ministry, also with the collaboration of the CNMC. This system is having enormous importance as a lever for the deployment of renewable gases. We already have 194 holding entities, 45 production facilities. We have issued more than one million guarantees of origin. The next step, which I announce to you, is the automatic connection of the guarantees of origin system with the platform for electrical guarantees of origin managed by the CNMC and market platforms such as MIBGAS.
Along with this, we are registering a large number of connection requests to the biomethane transport network. There are already 717 since 2021. We have no doubt that with the recent publication by the CNMC of the circular on biomethane access, we will see a much more agile and rapid deployment.
This is a roadmap in which the regulatory pieces must be completed. We have already referred to the transposition of the RED III directive, the beginning of the transposition of the decarbonized gas and hydrogen package with a proposal that the Ministry has also announced for the coming months. All of this is key to consolidating the development of the infrastructure that will make the hydrogen market possible. Without infrastructure, there is no market. And this is again made clear by the PNIEC, pointing out, as Joan has commented, the Spanish Hydrogen Backbone connected to the European H2Med corridor as strategic projects for the country, strategic projects for Europe declared PCI projects. Regulation is also important. Naturally, we are on the threshold of a new regulatory period, and getting the combination of incentives, regulatory instruments, and remuneration right is also fundamental for this future.
Speaking in this last part of my intervention about hydrogen infrastructure, I want to emphasize that the development of these infrastructures is advancing at a very good pace as planned. You know that about two weeks ago we launched the conceptual plan for public participation of the Spanish Hydrogen Backbone. We did it in Puertollano, at the National Hydrogen Center. We are talking about the largest public participation process ever carried out in Spain. 2,600 km of backbone infrastructure, 13 autonomous communities, 550 municipalities, to each and every one of which our teams will go, are already going, to explain the characteristics of these projects, their importance, their benefits, so that we have strong social support for this strategic project for the country.
In the second PCI call, last December, we submitted four additional sections totaling about 15 km that complete the connection to a hydrogen backbone of all peninsular autonomous communities in Spain, which has key capillarity to extend the opportunities of the hydrogen economy to all our territory.
We also have the H2Med corridor fully underway, the two interconnections, CelZa between Portugal and Spain, BarMar between Spain and France. We are moving at full speed so that the corridor is available at the beginning of the 2030s, and we already have a large part of the work underway, the pre-FEED engineering, the permitting process. We are also preparing the public consultation for this corridor.
For this, we have the support of the Government of Spain and the support of the European Commission. As you know, at the end of January, the award of funds by CINEA for the engineering studies of the hydrogen projects was announced. 39% of all funds allocated by the European Commission went precisely to the projects promoted by Enagás, with an initial financing of 75.8 million euros. We have confirmed this support this same week when the President, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera, visited the Enagás liquefied natural gas plant in Barcelona, where the compression station of the BarMar hydrogen pipeline will go and where the landfall point of this infrastructure will be.
We believe, therefore, that we are taking the necessary steps for Spain to seize this great historical opportunity. It is a joint effort that requires the contribution of everyone, of the entire gas system, which is the starting point of this future hydrogen system. Therefore, I conclude with some conclusions. First, without any doubt, the gas sector, the gas system, will continue to have an essential, crucial importance in the Spanish energy model. The gas system, which once again, time and again, responds when necessary, guaranteeing that we meet our obligations to supply our customers and consumers. Renewable gases will accelerate their expansion with a very clear short-term role for biomethane and a growing role subsequently for renewable hydrogen. As we have said, these gases will play a fundamental role in the decarbonization of Europe and in achieving long-term strategic autonomy and competitiveness. For all this, Enagás has a crucial role. Joan, friends, making an effort to contribute to an informed, serene, quality public conversation, based on technical arguments, where we are sensitive to all the angles of our society that need gas and renewable gases to continue making their project of freedom and prosperity a reality. So, thank you very much.
