On Friday 20 January, the EU-funded regional MED GEM (Mediterranean Green Electrons & Molecules) project was launched, with the presence of DG ENER and the experts’ team (GiZ).

This Services contract (budget of EUR 3 million ; 30 months’ duration) is of strategic importance considering its domains of intervention: hydrogen (and derivatives) developments, massive renewables’ deployment, wide awareness raising on necessary “behavioural change” towards resource efficiency.

Its objective is to create and operate a MED-GEM Network in the Southern Neighbourhood region by convening dialogue and collaborative activities between key energy stakeholders, in order to facilitate and promote the growth of the GEM industry at regional level.

In particular, the project will aim to:

- Accelerate the deployment of renewable power generation,

- Support the elaboration and implementation of policies for the production and trade of Power to X products (hydrogen and derivatives),

- Assess and exploit the potential for biogas, bio-methane and other forms of renewable gas.

In parallel, the MED-GEM project will also aim at increasing public awareness on the imperative need for an accelerated clean energy transition (involving civil society organisations).

The experts’ team will start its inception phase by field visits in the partner countries, which the EU Delegations will be fully associated to.