PETROGAL SA

Their core work

Petrogal (operating as Galp Energia) is Portugal's largest integrated energy company, active in oil refining, natural gas, and increasingly in renewable energy and green hydrogen. In H2020, they contributed as an industrial end-user and demonstration partner in hydrogen and carbon capture projects — bringing real-world refinery and energy infrastructure to test and validate emerging clean energy technologies at scale. Their participation focuses on deploying green hydrogen production at the 100 MW level and integrating hydrogen into existing energy supply chains, positioning them as a key industrial partner for energy transition projects in Southern Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Petrogal's H2020 journey shows a clear shift from supporting hydrogen end-use applications (fuel cell buses in JIVE 2, 2018) and CO2 capture materials research (MEMBER, 2018) toward large-scale green hydrogen production infrastructure (GREENH2ATLANTIC, 2021). The trajectory reflects a company moving from incremental clean energy participation to committing major resources — their largest project received EUR 1.5M — to building Portugal's green hydrogen supply chain. This mirrors the broader European energy industry pivot from fossil fuel optimization to active decarbonization.

Petrogal is scaling up its green hydrogen ambitions significantly, making them a strong candidate for future partnerships in industrial decarbonization and power-to-hydrogen infrastructure.

How they like to work

Petrogal participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with a large industrial company contributing infrastructure, testing sites, and market access rather than leading the research. With 76 unique partners across 16 countries in just 3 projects, they operate in very large consortia (averaging 25+ partners per project). This means they are comfortable in complex multi-partner setups and bring industrial credibility, but prospective partners should expect them to play a defined industrial role rather than drive the research agenda.

Despite only 3 projects, Petrogal has built a broad network of 76 partners across 16 countries, reflecting participation in large-scale Innovation Action consortia. Their geographic reach spans across Europe with a natural anchor in Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula.

What sets them apart

Petrogal stands out as one of the few major Southern European energy companies actively transitioning from fossil fuels to green hydrogen within the H2020 framework. Their value to consortia lies in providing real industrial infrastructure — refineries, energy distribution networks, and market channels — for testing and deploying clean energy technologies at commercial scale. For researchers and technology developers, partnering with Petrogal means access to a credible demonstration environment and a pathway to market in Portugal and the Iberian energy sector.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GREENH2ATLANTIC
  By far their largest commitment (EUR 1.5M), targeting 100 MW green hydrogen production — one of Europe's most ambitious power-to-hydrogen demonstrations, running through 2027.
• JIVE 2
  Pan-European hydrogen bus deployment initiative, notable for its scale across multiple cities and Petrogal's early entry into hydrogen mobility infrastructure.