THE FIRST LARGE GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT IN GALICIA STARTS PROCESSING

After two and a half years of preliminary work, the first large green hydrogen (H2) plant in Galicia begins its administrative and environmental processing this month. It is an electrolysis production facility that uses water from the lake of As Pontes (A Coruña) and new sources of clean energy. It is promoted by Reganosa jointly with EDP Renováveis ​​(EDPR).

This hydrogen production terminal has been conceived to be commissioned in cumulative phases of 20, 30 and 50 megawatts of power in order to reach a total of 100 MW after completion of its development. With an annual production capacity of up to 14,400 tons of H2 for distribution by tanker and injection into a hydro pipeline, it is expected to avoid the emission of more than 12,000 equivalent tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every month.

The materialization of the complex would require an initial surface of ​​35,000 square meters. Its exploitation and maintenance would generate 50 direct and 55 indirect jobs, while 186 professionals would be directly involved in its construction, plus 52 indirectly. In the hiring of workers and suppliers, priority would be given to local workers and, particularly, to those affected by the cessation of activity at the coal-fired power plant.

This project is part of the Pole for the Transformation of Galicia, articulated by the Xunta de Galicia. Due to its characteristics, this initiative is aligned with the objectives pursued by the EU Green Deal and the Next Generation program; the National Energy and Climate Plan, the Spanish Fair Transition Strategy, and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan; and the State Pact for Ferrol, the Law of Administrative Simplification and Support for the Economic Reactivation of Galicia, and the Galician Strategy for Climate Change and Energy 2050.

Siemens Energy joins as technology partner

Since Reganosa started working on it at the end of 2019, the conception of this plan has accumulated 20,000 hours of development in which 30 companies and organizations have been involved in some way. Among other tasks, feasibility studies, market analysis, commercial strategies, specific digital tools and conceptual and basic engineering have been carried out. For the latter, Inerco's services have been essential. Siemens Energy, a world leader in the sector, has recently joined the project as a technology partner.

The first large renewable hydrogen plant in Galicia is part of a larger and comprehensive action that EDPR and Reganosa are promoting with the aim of turning Ferrolterra into the capital of green energy. The plan also includes an energy storage consisting of a pumped hydroelectric power plant and a wind power complex composed of four wind farms with state-of-the-art turbines.

The strategic alliance of both companies, which integrates the entire value chain, is the most ambitious commitment made so far for the decarbonisation of the economy in Galicia. Thanks to it, the environment would have continued access to affordable and clean energy, which is a strength for attraction and establishment of strategic industries, in addition to promoting the sustainability and competitiveness of the productive fabric.

About Reganosa

Reganosa is the first Galician multinational energy company. In accordance with the principles of safety, efficiency and flexibility, it carries out a key activity in the transformation of the energy model and in mitigation of the effects of climate change. It operates basic assets for the security of supply in Europe and Africa, is a world leader in the management of third-party LNG terminals (Ghana, Malta and Italy) and has its own terminal in Mugardos, from where its gas pipeline network also starts. It is certified as a manager of the transport network and in the last four years it has tripled its workforce, as well as providing various types of services in 21 countries on four continents. Currently, in addition to this green hydrogen plant, it is also developing renewable energy, energy storage, digitization and circular economy projects.

About EDP Renewables (EDPR)

EDP ​​Renewables (Euronext: EDPR) is a global leader in the renewable energy sector and the fourth largest producer in the world. With its strong portfolio of projects, world-class assets and market-leading operational capacity, EDPR has shown extraordinary growth in recent years, with a presence in 26 markets in Europe, Latin and North America and Asia.

EDPR drives social progress with its commitment to sustainability and integration, and its employee-centric policies have led it to be listed in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and named Top Employer 2022 in Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Romania, Portugal and Poland) and Brazil, as well as Top Workplace 2022 in the United States.

EDP, the main shareholder of EDPR, is a leading global energy company in value creation, innovation and sustainability. EDP ​​has been in the Dow Jones index for 14 consecutive years, and was recently recognized as the most sustainable electric company in the index.