Naturgy and Enagás are studying the production of green hydrogen from a 250MW floating offshore wind farm and another 100MW onshore wind farm in Asturias (Spain) for industrial consumption in this Autonomous Region. The project, which is part of the Green Crane initiative, has already been submitted as a candidate Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) and could create a total of more than 1,500 jobs during its construction and operation phases.
The project’s planned renewable power production is estimated to save more than 200,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year.
Specifically, the project envisages developing an electrolysis and renewable energy plant with the construction of an onshore and an offshore wind farm on the coast of Asturias.
The latter will be built with floating technology developed by the Navantia-Windar temporary joint venture, with up to 24 platforms for generating renewable energy. The initiative will lead to progress in energy transition by favoring the decarbonization of sectors such as steel and shipyards, also extending to other sectors by injecting renewable hydrogen into the gas network.
The technology will first be deployed on a demo scale with 50 MW offshore and 100 MW onshore wind power, as well as a 5MW offshore electrolyzer and another 100-MW onshore electrolyzer. During the second phase, the project could be extended up to 250 MW offshore wind power with an additional 100-MW onshore electrolyzer.
The project will provide experience in the large-scale integration of electrolysis and renewable energy, both onshore and offshore, and will also allow for progress in reducing green hydrogen production costs.
The green hydrogen will be consumed locally, distributed through the gas network and exported to Europe, thus establishing the first large-scale European green hydrogen production and transport chains to decarbonize sectors and strengthen the European energy system, positioning Spain as a producer and exporter.
Local industries will also benefit from the project as the hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas and marketed using Guarantee of Origin mechanisms, thus allowing for the decarbonization of sectors that are difficult to electrify without having to undertake investments in the short-medium term that can reduce their competitiveness.
Enagás and ACCIONA launch green hydrogen project in Mallorca. At the end of December 2020, Enagás and ACCIONA announced they were moving forward with the Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca industrial project, having acquired an electrolyzer to produce renewable hydrogen to feed a pilot hydrogen ecosystem on the island of Mallorca. The other partners in the project are Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE), an agency of the Spanish government, and Cemex, which owns the site.
The electrolyzer will be supplied by Hydrogenics, which is part of the Cummins Group. The electrolyzer will be capable of producing more than 330 tons of green hydrogen per year, which will be used primarily as a direct energy source and, where this is not possible, will be injected into the natural gas grid to reduce the CO2 emissions produced by users of the latter fuel.
Enagás, ACCIONA, IDAE and Cemex have adopted an ambitious timetable for the project with a view to the plant becoming operational in 2021.
