At the Lebanon Grand Energy Event 2025 – أسبوع بيروت للطاقة, the EU-funded MED-GEM Network played a key role in shaping discussions on the future of renewable energy and green hydrogen in the Southern Mediterranean. During Session 13B – “Tripling RE and Doubling EE: How Achievable is the Target?”, Toufic Rizkallah, Technical Manager of the MED-GEM Network, presented “The Potential of Green Hydrogen: Opportunities for the Mediterranean Basin.”

In a session moderated by Mr. Mohammad Chbaro (FELL-18) and organised with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the EU-funded MED-GEM Network, Mr. Rizkallah highlighted green hydrogen as a key pillar of the global energy transition. He stressed its capacity to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, fertilisers and shipping, while storing renewable energy. He also underlined the Southern Mediterranean’s advantages — abundant solar and wind resources, proximity to European markets, and existing energy infrastructure — along with opportunities for diversification, job creation and regional cooperation. “The potential is there and the prospects are massive while the enablers are within reach,” he concluded, noting the important role of EU-funded initiatives like MED-GEM.

Mr. Rizkallah explained how the MED-GEM Network helps partner countries assess their green hydrogen readiness across five key areas: policy and regulations, finance and investment, technology and industry, infrastructure, and awareness and capacity building. This approach supports national strategies, fosters innovation and industrial value chains, mobilises finance and incentives, and strengthens institutions and public engagement — turning natural advantages into concrete opportunities for a sustainable, inclusive green hydrogen economy.