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Spain's Enagas slashes dividend as it gets ready for hydrogen financial investments

Spanish gas grid operator Enagas on Tuesday cut its dividend by more than 40% as it prepares to money billions of euros worth of hydrogen infrastructure investments amidst falling profit.

With gas need in the nation down for 2 years in a row and the federal government's enthusiastic green hydrogen plans, the business, in which the Spanish state owns a 5% stake, is looking to transition from its traditional role as gas grid operator to managing a network of hydrogen infrastructure.

Enagas expects net financial investment of around 3.2 billion euros ($ 3.45 billion) through 2030 to develop its planned hydrogen trunk network in Spain and its flagship job, the trans-European H2Med corridor, Chief Executive Arturo Gonzalo informed press reporters.

This consists of anticipated aids of around 40% on average for hydrogen projects.

By the end of the decade, the group's managed hydrogen possessions, worth some 3 billion euros, are expected to go beyond those of natural gas, seen at around 2 billion euros, the CEO stated.

Cutting the dividend is a crucial action to allow Enagas to prepare for a period of heavier financial investment, he said.

The company is partnering with French, German and Portuguese peers to develop the H2Med, a planned green hydrogen pipeline, which will link the Iberian peninsula to France and on to Central Europe by 2030.

Enagas will pay a dividend of 1 euro a share for the next 3 years, below the 1.74 euros it spent for 2023.

Net revenue will fall by more than 20% this year, to in between 260 million and 270 million euros, after an 8.8% decline last year. This is mostly due to lower earnings from its regulated organization, connected to a 2020 policy modification.

The assistance for this year is above market expectations, Gonzalo stated.

(source: Reuters)