The Port of Malaga is committed to green hydrogen with DH2Green Consortium

The Port of Malaga is committed to green hydrogen with DH2Green Consortium. The Port of Malaga is committed to projects focused on the use of renewable energies applied to the port sector , with the aim of contributing to a clean economy and combating climate change.

Following this line of action, the Port Authority has presented itself , leading a consortium of specialized companies, to the call for the European Green Pact financed within the framework of the Horizon 2020 program , to propose the design and implementation of a smart grid linked to renewable hydrogen and ammonia in the port area.

The project, called Digital H2 Green (DH2Green), is promoted by the public body and Buran Energy and made up of 13 national and international organizations specialized in the sector. This consortium will work together to improve energy efficiency in the Port , by proposing an innovative process for the combined production of electricity, renewable hydrogen and ammonia.

Its purpose is to promote distributed energy generation as a pillar of sustainable self-consumption in the port community through electric and hydrogen recharging stations for ships and land vehicles , mainly, which would result in a 65% reduction in emissions.

The President of the Port Authority, Carlos Rubio, highlights that this initiative “is part of the commitment of the Port of Malaga to develop actions that promote sustainable activity on the premises, within the framework of the Puerto Verde initiative, for which we are betting from 2019 ”. And he adds that “the port facility has an interesting location and modern and safe infrastructures that add value to its choice as a beacon for renewable energies”.

For his part, the President of Buran Energy, Ramón Carrasco, highlights the innovative nature of the project “by integrating Artificial Intelligence with the production of hydrogen from renewable sources in a multimodal node with the presence of different modes of transport and public energy networks ”.

With this project, Buran Energy and, specifically, its subsidiary Buran Habitat are promoting its commitment to sustainable port ecosystems which, as centers of sustainable and smart mobility, have great potential to immediately accelerate the transition to carbon neutrality through innovative solutions for port communities where renewable hydrogen acts as a reference indigenous energy vector.

Project development

The pilot plant for this project, in which Artificial Intelligence will be applied for its management, will be built at the Buran Energy facilities in the Port of Malaga.

From these facilities, energy generation, storage and supply operations will be carried out, housed in containers, minimizing the space used and facilitating its transport, being an ideal model for small-scale projects.

DH2Green Consortium

The proposal submitted to this call has been prepared by the consortium made up of the Malaga Port Authority and Buran Energy as main promoters, with the participation of a combination of national and European companies and centers:

• Technical management of the project: Azcatec, Emdelen (France), McValnera, Riverlake Solutions (Holland).
• Electrolyzer manufacturers: H2B2
• Specialized in artificial intelligence: RQuantech (Switzerland).
• Dissemination, dissemination and dissemination: Málagaport.
• Transfer to other sectors: Hispano Aeronáutica.
• Technical support and advice: Polytechnic University of Madrid, through the Agustín Betancourt Foundation.
• End users of the project: Valoriza Servicios Medioambientales and Oil Distribution Terminals (ODT).

Malaga Puerto Verde

The Port Authority promoted the Puerto Verde initiative that, since 2019, channels all actions related to sustainability in the enclosure.

The initiative focuses on three fundamental lines of action , in accordance with the provisions of the 2019-2023 Investment Plan:

• The implantation of spaces and tree barriers in various locations of the port and, more specifically, in the transition zones between the city and the industrial area, with the aim of creating ecological corridors that favor a more friendly visibility of the port environment.
• The construction of cogeneration facilities through the use of renewable energies . An example of this has been the renovation of the skylight of the headquarters of the public body, replacing the current one with photovoltaic solar modules to generate electricity that favors the self-consumption of the building itself.
• The reduction of carbon emissions into the atmosphere through less use of fossil fuels, supplying this energy through the use of renewable sources and an increase in energy efficiency in all processes.

In addition, last June the Port Authority renewed the certification of the Environmental Management System in accordance with the ISO 14001: 2015 standard, which represents recognition of the environmental practices that cover all the port services carried out by the entity and also by other companies responsible for waste collection, pilotage, trailers or supply to ships, among others.

Other actions to improve sustainable activity in the Port of Malaga correspond to the creation of a clean point in the port and the implementation of good practice agreements in this regard.

El Puerto de Málaga apuesta por el hidrógeno verde, 11 de marzo de 2021 [in Spanish]