The Port of Vigo is spearheading a pioneering Hydrogen Strategy to position itself as a European reference in the transition toward a green hydrogen economy. Organized as a network of interrelated but autonomous initiatives, this strategy is rooted in innovation, sustainability, and the decarbonisation of maritime-port activities.
At the core of this strategy are three flagship initiatives—Julio Verne, HYDEA, and HY2FISH—which, together with additional projects under development, form an open innovation ecosystem. This ecosystem positions the Port of Vigo as a real-world testing platform for hydrogen technologies, enabling public and private stakeholders to develop, trial, and scale solutions in a collaborative environment.
Julio Verne deploys Galicia’s first public-access green hydrogen station, integrating on-site production, storage, and dispensing. It supports clean mobility, logistics, and port electrification, while serving as a technological testbed under real operational conditions.
HYDEA, co-funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area programme, fosters the integration of hydrogen and renewable technologies across Atlantic ports. Beyond piloting energy-efficient solutions, the project promotes open access to infrastructure for testing new technologies and business models, accelerating innovation across the hydrogen value chain.
HY2FISH pioneers the use of a hybrid hydrogen propulsion system in a fishing vessel, with hydrogen supplied by Julio Verne, closing the clean energy loop within the port environment and driving decarbonisation in the fisheries sector.
This integrated approach is backed by more than 50 stakeholders from the “quadruple helix”—industry, academia, public authorities, and civil society. The Port of Vigo’s Hydrogen Strategy showcases how local leadership can drive broader change across the Atlantic region and the EU, supporting the European Green Deal and reinforcing the role of ports as key enablers in the energy transition.