The Gobierno Vasco announced on 4 October 2026 that the Dirección de Minas is currently processing five applications to explore for white hydrogen in Euskadi . The applications by the company Hatxebi have been under consideration since 2024. The Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE) has supported the work since March 2024, with no corporate or financial involvement in the company.
The Government places the reviews within its strategy to strengthen energy autonomy and decarbonise. Euskadi currently imports around 90 per cent of its energy needs and generates mainly renewable electricity, such as wind and solar power, as well as heat from biomass and biofuels. White hydrogen (hidrógeno blanco) is considered a natural, emissions-free energy source at a very early stage of development. According to the Government, the technology needed to extract it is not yet mature and is unlikely to be market-ready for decades. As a natural substance rather than a hydrocarbon, it is not covered by Law 1/2024 on the energy transition and climate change.
Alongside the five ongoing applications, the Basque administration has received two further applications to explore the area of the protected natural space of Aralar , submitted on 26 January 2026 by the Gobierno de España and the Comunidad Foral de Navarra. The Gobierno Vasco issued a favourable opinion in April 2026, as the plans, according to the documents, involve neither drilling nor extractive activities nor substantial interference with the terrain or subsoil. Physical exploration is to take place solely in Navarre. A favourable opinion does not replace a permit for any interventions.
The minister responsible, Mikel Jauregi, reaffirmed the executive’s position, saying: “Aralar no se toca. Y punto”. The Government makes clear that no exploration, research or exploitation measures that could negatively affect protected ecosystems will be permitted in specially protected areas.
In administrative law, a strict distinction is made between permitted, non-invasive preliminary investigations and any form of extraction, which would require further authorisations. Given the early stage of white hydrogen technology, the next steps in the process will focus above all on environmental conditions and their compatibility with existing nature conservation rules. The Government is thus signalling a willingness to review applications while maintaining high standards of protection for sensitive areas.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).