Iberdrola has signed an agreement with fertiliser company Fertiberia to construct the largest green hydrogen plant for industrial use in Europe.
Iberdrola and Fertiberia will be investing €50 million ($58.5 million) in the construction of the plant in Puertollano. The plant will be operational in 2021.
Iberdrola will be responsible for the production of green hydrogen from 100% renewable sources. The utility will construct 100MW solar PV, 20MWh battery energy storage and one of the largest electrolytic hydrogen production systems in the world (20MW).
The green hydrogen produced will be used at Fertiberia’s ammonia plant in Puertollano. This plant is already one of the most efficient in the European Union, with a production capacity of more than 200,000 t/year. Fertiberia will update and modify the plant to be able to use the green hydrogen produced to manufacture green fertilisers.
The project will create up to 700 jobs and avoid emissions of 39,000 tCO2/year.
The fertiliser company will leverage the project to reduce natural gas requirements at the plant by over 10% and will be the first European company in the sector to develop expertise in large-scale green ammonia generation.
Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán, said: “Today we are launching the first major green hydrogen project in Europe, demonstrating that thanks to renewables and technological innovation, it is possible to continue to meet the needs of the electrification and decarbonisation of our industry. The initiative shows the path and opportunities offered by the energy transition to develop innovative projects as the focus for industrialisation and employment in our country.”
Javier Goñi, president of Fertiberia, adds: “The partnership with Iberdrola allows Fertiberia to take a further step in its ambition to become a European reference for sustainable solutions for agriculture and to lead the paradigm shift required for the energy transition in the chemical sector, thanks to the manufacture of green ammonia from domestic renewable energy sources.”
