Emmanuel Macron wants to continue the development of maritime transport. For this, the Head of State wishes the realization of a “Grand Port which goes from Marseille to Lyon”, in particular for the transport of goods and energies, he indicated on Saturday to the daily. Provence.
Alongside the Spanish and Portuguese leaders, the President officially launched on Friday in Alicante, south-eastern Spain, the ambitious hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille, which should be completed by 2030. “With this project, Marseille will become one of the major hydrogen centers in Europe,” stressed the Head of State. “This is one of the concrete implementations of the speech I gave a little over a year ago at the Pharo on ecological planning and on the “Marseille en grand” plan”.
Towards a connection with Germany
“Marseille is a natural gateway, due to its geographical position and the presence of its forward-looking industries. We also have to make, again for questions of energy and industrial coherence, this Grand Port which goes from Marseille to Lyon, ”said Emmanuel Macron. This “will go up the Rhône furrow to transport energy and goods to the chemical valley, south of Lyon, and will also connect Germany and its production heart”.
“We have to do in Marseille-Lyon what we did in Le Havre-Paris with Haropa. The idea is to integrate the transport of goods and energy, tourism and industrial development”, specified the president in Provence, while the former Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner has just been elected chairman of the supervisory board of the port of Marseille-Fos. One of the largest in France, this port, which extends over an area equivalent to the City of Paris, welcomes nearly 10,000 ships each year. It handles around 80 million tonnes of cargo.
During the interview, Emmanuel Macron also mentioned his return to Marseille. “I will come to Marseille taking the time, as I have already done, in January or February”.