Lessons learned from the public consultation on the BarMar project in french

The fundamental objectives of the project—industrial decarbonization and European energy sovereignty—were shared with the public. The interconnection between the Iberian and French hydrogen transport networks received broad support from participants, many of whom recalled the industrial vocation of the regions served by the BarMar pipeline. Participants requested vigilance regarding the alignment between the construction schedule and market maturity: BarMar shares this view and will ensure that utilization guarantees are secured before the final investment decision.

Fisheries, biodiversity, and regional supply: key areas of focus

The consultation highlighted several topics of particular importance to the public.

Fisheries are a major issue. The consultation emphasizes the need to coordinate project progress ("surveys", future works) with representatives of the fishing industry. It also stresses the specific nature of crossings between the pipeline and submarine cables. BarMar is committed to studying this issue with the utmost care and involving fishermen in its work.

Biodiversity is another important topic raised by consultation participants. BarMar confirmed that particular vigilance is applied to assessing the direct and indirect impacts (e.g., turbidity during construction) of the project. Furthermore, BarMar wishes to continue sharing information with the scientific community throughout the studies, construction, and operation phases.

The supply of renewable hydrogen to the Occitanie and Sud-PACA regions was a recurring topic, particularly among economic actors. All wish for the project to benefit the hydrogen sectors currently structuring these regions. BarMar shares this ambition and recalled that regional and national networks are being developed in parallel with the European network, under the impetus of NaTran and Teréga, shareholders of H2med.

Territorial dialogue: continuing the efforts undertaken

Local stakeholders, starting with fishing professionals, highlight the efforts made by the project developers regarding territorial dialogue. These efforts enabled the prior consultation to take place in a peaceful and constructive atmosphere.

As ongoing consultation is about to begin, BarMar is making a series of commitments in its response document to the guarantors' report:

• Sharing the results of environmental studies;

• Implementing commitments made for monitoring mollusk production;

• Participating in the consultation on the HY-FEN project, another element of the H2med corridor, as part of the presentation of network interfaces;

• Participating in the ongoing consultation organized following the global debate in the Fos-sur-Mer area;

• Continuing exchanges with fishing professionals at the scale of regional committees and prud'homies;

• Setting up workshops with fishing stakeholders regarding intersections with submarine cables;

• Proposing to the Permanent Secretariat for the Prevention of Industrial Pollution in PACA to organize an exchange session based on the future hazard study;

• Continuing to inform the public at each major stage of the project's development.

BarMar will remain at the disposal of future guarantors appointed by the National Commission for Public Debate to clarify its intentions and develop an information and participation framework leading up to the public inquiry.