Spain – The Ebro Hydrogen Corridor is born, a benchmark for developing this renewable energy.
Its creation, motivated by the desire to share information, analyze and study complementary actions that establish synergies between the different regional initiatives.
The Ebro Hydrogen Corridor has been presented, a project that seeks to promote interterritorial connection and serve as a link between the large regional initiatives around renewable hydrogen that are already underway in the northeast of Spain.
This new ecosystem is called to play a leading role in the decarbonization of the surrounding industry while improving its competitiveness and attracting new investment.
The project is supported by the Basque Hydrogen Corridor Association (BH2C), by ACCIÓ-Agency for Business Competitiveness as the entity responsible for the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia (H2ValleyCat), the Foundation for the Development of New Hydrogen Technologies in Aragón (Aragón Hydrogen Foundation) as the entity responsible for the coordination of the Hydrogen Valley of Aragón “ GetHyGA Initiative”, and the Navarra Industry Association (AIN ) together with the Navarra Development Society (SODENA) as promoters of the Navarra Green Hydrogen Agenda.
Its creation, motivated by the desire to share information, analyze and study complementary actions that establish synergies between the different regional initiatives, has been promoted by SHYNE, the largest multi-sector consortium in Spain for renewable hydrogen, launched last January, and that plays a fundamental role as a country project due to its integrating effect.
SHYNE will also give support to the projects developed in this initiative, capacity for knowledge management and will promote research into pioneering technologies with the aim of positioning Spain at the forefront of this energy vector.
The presentation ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Government of Aragon and was attended by the Third Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, who explained that Spain will be at the center of the production of hydrogen and hydrogen will be exported.
Teresa Ribera, said:
The hydrogen economy is here to stay and the bets of territories, companies and industries like yours, which are providing critical solutions, to the point of being able to produce up to 70 or 80% of what we need to produce hydrogen in our country, we know that it is decisive and shows the way forward.
“That is why, from the Government, we have included a special role for hydrogen in the PERTE dedicated to renewable energies, storage and green hydrogen. Adding, having corridors that allow the Hydrogen Valleys to be combined, industrial capacity and those final uses to test, expand and grow are absolutely determining factors”, he pointed out.
The event began with words from the CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, who attended representing the presidency of SHYNE.
Josu Jon Imaz, CEO of Repsol, said:
Due to its location, the Ebro Hydrogen Corridor will be a key lever to effectively develop the full potential of this geographical area, with a cross-border dimension of the future hydrogen economy, allowing greater integration of value chains at a European level.
It has also had the presence of the General Director of Industry and SMEs of the Government of Aragon and Vice President of the Aragón Hydrogen Foundation, Javier Navarro.
Likewise, the President of BH2C, Jose Ignacio Zudaire; the General Director of Industry of the Government of Catalonia and CEO of ACCIÓ-Agency for the Competitiveness of Companies, Natalia Mas; the Managing Director of the Aragón Hydrogen Foundation, Fernando Palacín; the General Director of Industry, Energy and Strategic Projects of the Government of Navarra, Uxue Itoiz; the General Director of the Navarra Industry Association, Ana Ursúa; and the Hydrogen Director of Repsol and President of SHYNE,Tomas Malango.
All of them have highlighted the importance of this backbone project for the new hydrogen economy in this area, which will contribute to the generation of quality employment, the attraction of new investments and innovation around renewable hydrogen technologies, creating wealth in its entire area of influence.
Next, the Minister of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment of the Basque Government, Arantxa Tapia, the Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Roger Torrent, the Vice President and Minister of Industry, Competitiveness and Business Development of the Government of Aragon, Arturo Aliaga and the Counselor for Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarra and President of SODENA, Mikel Irujo have signed a public manifesto of cooperation and support for this initiative.
The Ebro Hydrogen Corridor will promote actions in all areas, including production, transport, uses and storage.
Regarding the production of renewable hydrogen, this ecosystem has set itself the ambition of installing a production capacity of 400 MW in 2025 (which entails 1.5 GW of associated renewable generation production), and reaching 1.5 GW in 2030 (6 GW of renewable).
Another of its key lines of action will focus on stimulating the final uses of renewable hydrogen, both in the transport sector and in industrial uses in different sectors. Among these uses, the objective of reaching a production of 250,000 tons per year of products derived from renewable hydrogen such as methanol, ammonia or synthetic fuels in 2030 stands out.
It will also promote the creation of a network with 20 hydrogen stations in 2025, infrastructure that will have up to 100 points in 2030, to enable the deployment of its use in land, sea and rail transport.
In addition, in terms of storage and transportation of renewable hydrogen, cross-border projects with the south of France will be promoted to promote interconnection with Europe and position Spain as a relevant producer in the continental hydrogen market. It will be carried out in coordination with the Pyrenees Work Community.
Renewable hydrogen is one of the main energy vectors to achieve the decarbonisation of the economy thanks mainly to its versatility. Hydrogen is already used in the industrial sector as a raw material in refining, in the production of ammonia, in the steel industry and in chemistry, mainly. All of these products will have a lower carbon footprint thanks to renewable hydrogen.
But this gas also has many other uses; It is in itself a clean fuel, in mobility it is used in the production of synthetic fuels or in fuel cells and can also be used to store renewable energy, thus solving the intermittency of the wind and solar photovoltaic production.
Coordination between all regional initiatives is a fundamental piece to achieve an efficient deployment of the hydrogen economy and to achieve national and European objectives. Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.
The SHYNE project, under the leadership of Repsol, has the objective of promoting interterritorial actions and renewable hydrogen projects in all areas of the Spanish economy to promote rapid decarbonization.
SHYNE will deploy projects in ten autonomous communities and will have a total investment of 3,230 million euros that will serve to develop more competitive technologies and evolve both Spanish industry and its infrastructure towards decarbonisation, generating more than 13,000 jobs.
The Ebro Hydrogen Corridor is born, a benchmark for developing this renewable energy, April 4, 2022
