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26
April 2023
by Valentin BONTEMPS
'Impossible to keep track': Spain's gamble on green
hydrogen
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the report
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Madrid wants to ramp up
production of emissions-free fuel like green hydrogen
Major green energy projects are sprouting up across Spain as it seeks
to position itself as a future green energy leader—but experts have
urged caution over costs and demand uncertainty.
Spanish firms are ramping up production of emissions-free fuel and
ploughing investment into green energy projects, despite fears over
the high price of production.
"Everything is going very fast," said Miguel Angel Fernandez,
technical director at the Spanish National Hydrogen Centre, a public
research centre based in central Spain.
"There are so many projects, it is impossible to keep track of them
all."
Most hydrogen is currently produced using polluting fossil
fuels but so-called "green hydrogen" is made entirely using
renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower.
While fossil fuels emit harmful greenhouse gases when they burn,
hydrogen only emits water vapour.
Madrid launched a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7-billion) plan in in 2021 to
support green hydrogen projects, using a European Union Covid recovery
fund.
Spain is now home to 20 percent of the world's green hydrogen
projects—second only to the United States.
Last year Spanish energy giant Iberdrola started operating what it
says is the largest green hydrogen plant for industrial
use in Europe, in the former mining town of Puertollano.
The plant uses 100 megawatts of solar panels to produce green
hydrogen, which is stored in huge white storage tanks.
![](images/images_05_05_2023/so-called-green-hydrog.jpg)
So-called 'green hydrogen' is made entirely using
renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower.
The initial goal is for it to provide 10 percent of the energy needed
by a neighbouring factory belonging to fertiliser maker Fertiberia.
This will prevent the release of 48,000 tonnes of planet-warming
carbon dioxide per year according to Iberdrola.
If the pilot project works, Iberdrola will launch a "much more
important second phase" to meet 100 percent of the fertiliser plant's
energy needs, said Javier Plaza, head of Iberdrola's green hydrogen
division.
Hydrogen valley
Rival Spanish energy firms such as Cepsa and Repsol have in recent
months launched similar projects.
In Spain's sunny southern Andalusia region, three billion euros is
being invested to create a "green hydrogen valley" where two large
factories will produce 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year from
2027.
In the northern region of Asturias 15 solar power parks will be built
by 2030 to enable the annual production of 330,000 tonnes of green
hydrogen.
Rafael Cossent, research associate professor in energy economics at
Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, said there was an
"effervescence" in the sector putting Spain in a leading role in green
hydrogen production.
This is partly due to Spain's abundant sun and wind power
capabilities, he added.
The Spanish Hydrogen Association estimates there are currently 50
green hydrogen projects under development in the country.
Spain could potentially produce enough green hydrogen to cover its own
needs and export to northern Europe, the association argues.
![](images/images_05_05_2023/the-government-is-coun.jpg)
The government is counting on a planned
underwater pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille, dubbed H2Med.
'Long-term race'
A major drawback for green hydrogen, however, has been the high cost
of producing it.
While the price of the renewable energy used to make it has come down
due to technological advances, green hydrogen has still not proven
itself to be economically viable.
Massive use of green hydrogen will also require "complex
transformations" by vehicles and industrial plants which make future
demand for the fuel uncertain, said Cossent.
A green hydrogen economy will need a robust transportation
infrastructure to transport it—which Spain is currently lacking.
The government is counting on a planned underwater pipeline between
Barcelona and Marseille, dubbed H2Med, which is expected to transport
some two million metric tonnes of hydrogen annually.
Hydrogen is difficult to contain without leakage however, making it
challenging to store and transport, so delays to the pipeline are
widely expected.
But the giants of the green hydrogen market are undeterred.
Iberdrola's Plaza said it is important to get into green hydrogen early
because "whoever starts first has the advantage".
"We are talking about a long-term race," he added.
© 2023 AFP
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