EU Backs Malta's Hydrogen-Ready Pipeline Project

Malta has secured EU backing to keep its proposed hydrogen-ready pipeline eligible for Project of Common Interest status and potential EU funding, preserving the project's path toward future connection to Europe's hydrogen network.

(P&GJ) — Malta has secured backing from European Union member states to extend a special exemption that keeps its proposed hydrogen-ready pipeline project eligible for potential EU funding.

The decision was reached during a meeting of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg, where the Council of the European Union agreed on its negotiating position for revisions to the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation. The proposal now moves to negotiations with the European Commission and the European Parliament before final approval.

According to Malta's Ministry for Energy, the Environment and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour, the exemption allows the pipeline project to retain its designation as a Project of Common Interest (PCI), preserving eligibility for funding through the Connecting Europe Facility.

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said the decision recognizes Malta's geographic challenges while supporting the country's long-term energy transition.

"This is an important step forward for Malta, reflecting our country's geographic realities while remaining aligned with the government's long-term strategy to decarbonise the power sector by 2050," Dalli said.

"We have secured the Council's support for the continued eligibility of the hydrogen-ready pipeline project for potential EU funding. This keeps open Malta's future access to the EU hydrogen backbone and the developing hydrogen market."

The exemption, first introduced in 2021, has enabled Malta's pipeline project to remain on the European Union's 2023 and 2025 lists of Projects of Common Interest despite the island nation's lack of direct connections to the continental gas network.

The Council said the extension reflects the continued physical isolation of Malta and Cyprus from the trans-European natural gas network and the future European hydrogen backbone. EU member states agreed that pipeline interconnections for the two island nations remain an important objective while ensuring such infrastructure does not slow the deployment of renewable energy or broader decarbonization efforts.

During the same meeting, EU energy ministers also agreed on a negotiating position to accelerate renewable energy permitting and discussed the bloc's long-term energy objectives and regional energy security.