€7 Million H2BLUE Project Launched to Test Hydrogen-Powered Aquaculture Equipment in the Canary Islands and Azores
The EU H2BLUE project was launched in Brussels on October 14. Coordinated by the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands with 17 partners participating, it is funded with €7 million from the European Commission's Interregional Innovation Investment instrument for a three-year term. It will test hydrogen-powered aquaculture equipment in the Canary Islands and the Azores and reuse the oxygen produced as a by-product of hydrogen generation at onshore fish farms.
The EU project "Green Hydrogen Integration for Decarbonising the Aquaculture and Fisheries Value Chain" (H2BLUE) held its kick-off meeting in Brussels on October 14, attended by European researchers and industry representatives. Coordinated by the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) and bringing together 17 partners from Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria, the project will deploy renewable hydrogen solutions in the Atlantic island regions. It is funded with €7 million from the European Commission's Interregional Innovation Investment instrument, managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). The project promoters aim to cut carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional marine diesel.
H2BLUE runs for three years and is designed as an end-to-end value chain rather than an isolated technology trial. Over the next 36 months, demonstration activities in the Canary Islands and the Azores will link every stage of the hydrogen cycle directly to offshore operations.
Onshore, coastal sites will install pilot green hydrogen production and refuelling stations as well as localised hydrogen production systems. Offshore, the technical team will integrate a 20 kW fuel cell power unit on an offshore aquaculture service vessel and test hydrogen-powered auxiliary systems used in feeding operations.
The project also builds circularity into the process: the oxygen produced as a by-product of hydrogen generation will be captured and reused at onshore fish farming facilities, with the aim of improving operational efficiency and reducing waste. This account comes from a press release issued by Consulta Europa.
To support local uptake, H2BLUE will establish direct links with regional SMEs, offering tailored training programmes and support schemes to help local businesses adopt and replicate hydrogen solutions. European Commission representatives stressed at the kick-off meeting that Europe's outermost islands can serve as "living laboratories" for testing scalable clean energy models for coastal communities across Europe.
Following the kick-off meeting, the technical team is carrying out site feasibility and engineering studies in Gran Canaria and La Palma in Spain and in the Azores in Portugal, while mapping regional innovation networks in preparation for broader market application.