Spain – Spain’s first commercial renewable hydrogen production facility has been established in Lloseta (Mallorca).
Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge Teresa Ribera, who is also the third vice president of the government, opened the plant. Enagás and ACCIONA Energa, along with CEMEX and IDEA, are leading the Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca project, which has developed the plant.
Plant commissioning
Starting with tests in December of last year, the Lloseta plant became the first industrial-scale Spanish green hydrogen project to produce the first renewable molecules. Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca is part of a European-funded project called Green Hysland, in which the production of renewable hydrogen at the plant will be phased in based on the availability of infrastructure and equipment for its use.
Enagás is leading the Green Hysland project, which aims to help the Balearic Government meet its environmental goals by deploying the necessary infrastructure to create a renewable hydrogen ecosystem on the island of Mallorca. The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking received a grant of €10 million from the European Union to help with project implementation.
The new EU Hydrogen Strategy and the Spanish Government’s “Hydrogen Roadmap: a commitment to renewable hydrogen” are in agreement with this investment. This is the EU’s second-largest grant for a green hydrogen project, and the first to go to a country in the Middle East.
Electrolyzer up and running
Renewable hydrogen is generated in the electrolyzer, which has already undergone technical commissioning tests. Once the infrastructure for its consumption has been fully deployed, it will be fully operational and produce at least 300 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year. 8.5 MW and 5.85 MW photovoltaic plants in Lloseta and Petra, respectively, will provide the electrolyzer with renewable electricity. Accreditation of the plant’s 100% renewable hydrogen will be done using blockchain technology developed by ACCIONA Energa.
Once the green hydrogen ecosystem in Mallorca has been fully implemented, the island’s CO2 emissions should be reduced by up to 21,000 metric tons annually. Redexis will build the first hydroduct in Spain on the island to transport some of the green hydrogen. The company’s natural gas distribution system in Palma de Mallorca can accommodate this hydroduct. This will help to reduce the island’s carbon footprint by making the island more energy efficient. As of now, the administrative processing phase is complete, and construction will be able to begin in the second quarter of 2018.
In addition to providing clean fuel for bus fleets and powering commercial and public buildings, green hydrogen will also be used to create a refueling station on Mallorca. This clean energy ecosystem is being built in collaboration with the private sector as well. At the Iberostar hotel chain, for example, an agreement has been reached whereby renewable hydrogen will replace a portion of the natural gas consumed.
More and more industries and businesses, as well as public and private entities alike, are expected to join the renewable energy movement. With new projects that are compatible with existing activities, the project would be strengthened and the re-industrialization of Lloseta and its surroundings would be boosted. A renewable hydrogen hub can be developed in Mallorca, making it the first island economy in Europe to rely on green hydrogen for its entire economy.
