Carburos Metálicos will Open The First Public Hydrogen Plant in Tarragona

Carburos Metálicos will open the first public hydrogen plant in Tarragona.

Carburos Metálicos, a leading company in the industrial and medical gases sector in Spain that is part of the Air Products Group, has acquired a plot of more than 10,000 m2 on which it will install the first hydrogen generator open to the public in Tarragona. 

The land is located at the entrance to the Riu Clar industrial estate and its location next to important communication routes such as the AP-7, the A-27, the port of Tarragona and the Mediterranean corridor will be key to promoting transport throughout the region of passengers and goods by road by means of hydrogen (H2). 

In addition to being of renewable origin, the H2 dispensed will be produced in Tarragona.   

The construction phase is expected to begin throughout this year, so the facilities could be operational throughout 2023. Potential users of this hydropower plant include Carburos Metálicos’ own fleet of distribution vehicles, which it will adopt the H2 gradually. 

In this way, the project contributes to the promotion of H2 for mobility, one of the strategic lines of the company that since last year has carried out refueling and supply tests with buses with its ‘Hydrogen Route’, which demonstrate that this mobility system ‘ zero emissions’ is now a reality. 

This tour, which has passed through six autonomous communities to date, will continue this year and joins other initiatives such as the launch in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), on January 26, of the first permanent bus line in Spain powered by renewable H2 with the technology developed by Carburos Metálicos (Air Products group). 

These and other initiatives place the company at the forefront of mobility with hydrogen in Spain. 

‘Movem Tarragona’ 

In order to promote sustainability and innovation in the region, Carburos Metálicos launches the ‘Movem Tarragona’ campaign, aimed both at the business fabric of the province and at society as a whole. 

Carbides Metálicos has a great link with this territory in which it has been present for more than 60 years and in which it has five production plants. 

It is a decided commitment by Tarragona in the belief that it will play a very important role in the H2 economy as a center of production and research. In this sense, the company is part of the Vall de l’Hydrogen of Catalonia, which brings together the effort to create an integrated ecosystem around the H2 value chain in the region.

Carburos Metálicos, which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary with an eye on the energy transition, is currently leading the development of the new mobility with H2 in Spain, since it has the necessary capacities to produce it, distribute it and take it to the deposit of the vehicles by means of their own hydrogen generators. 

Likewise, it is a member of different associations that promote the H2 economy and actively participates in the ‘hydrogen tables’ of several autonomous communities created to promote projects within the framework of the ‘Hydrogen roadmap’ established by the central government.

Likewise, Carburos Metálicos is patron of the Hydrogen Studies Chair created by the Comillas Pontifical University to study the role of this energy vector in the transition to a decarbonised economy.

The company is part of the world’s largest producer of H2, the Air Products Group, which has participated since 1993 in more than 250 hydrogen service station projects in twenty countries. 

It also has the world’s largest channeled distribution network for H2 and an extensive portfolio of patents related to its refueling, so it is present throughout its value chain. Air Products refueling technologies provide more than 1.5 million H2 refills per year.

Miquel Lope, General Director of Carburos Metálicos, said:

At Carburos Metálicos we are once again committed to Tarragona, convinced of its potential to provide solutions that allow us to move towards the decarbonisation of the economy and the energy transition. 

“The future Riu Clar hydroelectric plant is one more piece in the creation of a hydrogen ecosystem in Catalonia where the company already has renewable hydrogen produced in Tarragona”.

About Carburos Metálicos

Carburos Metálicos is a leading company in the industrial and medical gases sector that produces, distributes and sells gases for multiple sectors: metallurgy, glass, water, food, medicine, energy, petrochemicals, laboratories, freezing, refrigeration, oenology, entertainment and drinks. 

The company provides a wide range of products, solutions and services to its customers, as well as materials and equipment for the applications of these gases.

Founded in 1897, Carburos Metálicos has been serving the industry in our country for 125 years and has always maintained a strong bond with society. Currently, it is the leader in the industrial and medical gases sector in Spain and a benchmark in the chemical sector in matters of safety, innovation and sustainability.

Carburos Metálicos has a team of more than 700 professionals in Spain, a daily production capacity of more than 1,200 tons of liquefied gas (mtpd), 12 production plants, 14 bottling plants, 2 high-purity gas laboratories and a R&D center located in Bellaterra (Barcelona) that serve more than 100,000 customers. Since 1995, the company has belonged to the US group Air Products (NYSE:APD).

Air Products is one of the world’s leading industrial gases companies, where it has been operating for 80 years.  Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.

The company supplies industrial gases and the necessary equipment to dozens of productive sectors, including the refining and petrochemical, metallurgical, electronic components or food and beverage industries. 

Air Products is also the world’s leading provider of liquefied natural gas equipment and technology. It also develops some of the world’s largest gasification, CO2 capture and carbon-free hydrogen projects to promote mobility and the energy transition.

The group recorded sales of $10.3 billion in 2021 from its activities in more than 50 countries and currently has a market capitalization of around $65 billion. 

More than 20,000 talented, passionate, and committed employees from diverse backgrounds are guided by Air Products’ ultimate goal of creating innovative solutions that benefit the environment, improve sustainability, and address the challenges facing customers, communities and the world. 

Highlights:

• The refueling point will be located in the Riu Clar industrial estate, a strategic enclave close to the AP-7 and the Mediterranean corridor
• The company launches the ‘Movem Tarragona’ campaign to promote sustainability and innovation in the province

READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central

Carburos Metálicos will open the first public hydrogen plant in Tarragona, March 10, 2022