White & Case advocates for an administrative regulation of green hydrogen in Spain

White & Case has organized an informative meeting to present the practical aspects of the development of hydrogen projects and the main issues to be taken into account: regulatory, contractual, competition, financial and litigation issues.

Image: from left to right, Pablo García-Nieto and Ignacio Paz, partners of White & Case.

The meeting was also attended by Ana Calvo (White & Case Madrid, Regulation and Public Law partner), Íñigo del Guayo (White & Case Madrid, legal consultant and professor of Administrative Law); José Antonio de la Calle (White & Case Madrid, Competition Law partner); Fernando Navarro (White & Case Madrid, Banking and Finance partner); Francisco Málaga (White & Case Madrid, Litigation and Arbitration partner); Eduardo Dachary (White & Case Madrid, Corporate counsel) and Ryan Gawrych (White & Case London).

Highlights

In Spain there are currently 123 projects from 46 associated companies, with a total investment of 21,000 million euros, according to data from the Spanish Hydrogen Association.

During the event, Ignacio Paz, Energy and Infrastructure partner at White & Case Madrid, highlighted that “Spain has an immense capacity to generate the renewable energy needed to power green hydrogen plants, but it is important to partner with the right technologist and have a long-term offtake to ensure the viability of the project. In addition, the sector needs specific regulation to speed up obtaining the necessary permits to install the plants and the rest of the infrastructure, as well as promotional measures to facilitate the development of a specific hydrogen market”.

NEOM’s green hydrogen project

White & Case has extensive experience in the hydrogen sector, advising on a multitude of projects, including the financing process for NEOM’s green hydrogen mega-plant in Saudi Arabia, a project that required $8.4 billion of financing through senior debt and credit facilities provided by a syndicate of 21 commercial banks. NEOM’s green hydrogen project is the world’s largest facility and will integrate four gigawatts of solar and wind power to produce up to 600 tons per day of carbon-free hydrogen by 2026.
Energy & Infrastructure

White & Case’s Energy & Infrastructure

White & Case’s Energy & Infrastructure practice in Madrid is led by Ignacio Paz and Pablo García-Nieto, who have a team of more than 10 lawyers, including Ana Calvo Abril, partner in Regulatory; Íñigo del Guayo, legal consultant and professor of Administrative Law; Eduardo Dachary, counsel specializing in M&A and Projects, and Amparo de Leyva, associate specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions.