Spain and France are dropping plans to transport natural gas via an undersea pipeline between the two countries and will instead dedicate it only to hydrogen in a bid to secure the “maximum” possible EU funding for the project.

Officials from both countries sketched out the plan ahead of a summit on Friday in Alicante, Spain, of leaders from nine European countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

French president Emmanuel Macron, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez and Portuguese prime minister António Costa will meet to discuss the pipeline from Barcelona to Marseille, and another session will take place with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to try to secure her support. The EU has prioritised hydrogen as an alternative energy source as it aims to reduce greenhouse gases to at least 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.