Endesa has designed a macroplan to promote the development of green hydrogen in Spain, which includes investments of 2,908 million euros, which is
the highest volume announced by a company in the national territory
to date.
The energy company led by
José Bogas
as CEO has submitted a letter of interest to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge in which it details up to 23 projects that provide for the installation of electrolyzers that add a power of 340 megawatts (MW) in addition to associated renewable parks for 1,921 MW (1,075 MW photovoltaic and 846 MW wind).
And it is that, it is a
comprehensive macroproject
that contemplates both the construction of the plants to produce hydrogen and the renewable facilities to generate the energy from which the electrolyzers will be fed.
The developments presented by Endesa include
different end uses of green hydrogen
, from its production to its consumption.
The most ambitious projects to be carried out within the peninsula are located in the areas where the company is closing its thermal plants: Teruel, Compostilla (León), As Pontes (A Coruña), Litoral (Almería) and Alcudia ( Minorca).
The energy company plans to
transform the plants that used coal
as generator fuel and convert them into modern facilities that produce hydrogen and are powered by green energy.
“They are special areas where we have been for many years and we want to continue to be present.
Now an opportunity opens up to transform these coal-based generation centers and we want to build plants with innovative technologies such as photovoltaic, wind and hydrogen production.
The combination of these technologies can make it a modern and sustainable complex, ”explains
Endesa's
General Director of Generation,
Rafael González
, to
CincoDías
.
More information
Endesa extends the 70% 'pay out' to 2023 and announces an investment plan of 25,000 million
The energy companies prepare the green transition with 50,000 million investment
The rebirth of hydrogen, but of renewable origin
The most advanced project is that of As Pontes,
which will have a 100 MW electrolyzer and six associated wind farms, with a combined capacity of 611 MW and whose construction would entail the creation of some 1,600 jobs during the 18 months of construction.
The rest of the projects presented by Endesa are
diversified in the final use of hydrogen
: some are intended for the use of hydrogen in the chemical industry as a raw material, others seek to replace fossil thermal consumption with hydrogen, and it has also designed projects for the use of hydrogen as a fuel for heavy transport.
"All of this can mean the creation of a national industry," emphasizes González.
Together, the peninsular complexes will add a
capacity of 215 MW from hydrogen projects
and the creation of more than 500 jobs in their construction phase, and around 220 in subsequent phases of operation and maintenance.
It will add 2,000 renewable MW
In the case of non-
peninsular projects,
which absorb 900 million investments, Endesa proposes different options that range from the production of energy with green hydrogen in new generation plants (Barranco de Tirajana, Granadilla and Alcudia), the transition from operating plants to bi-fuel and the replacement of power from other operating plants with hydrogen and gas.
“Endesa wants to show its clear commitment to green hydrogen as a key in the energy transition process and the decarbonization of the economy.
The 23 green hydrogen projects that we are now presenting are associated with a renewable capacity of almost 2,000 MW ”, highlights the General Director of Generation of Endesa.
To give an idea of the magnitude, the 2,000 MW represent half of the new renewable capacity envisaged in Endesa's recently released strategic plan until 2023. The total production of all the plants, once commissioned, would add up to
26,000 annual tons of hydrogen.
According to Endesa's estimates, the set of projects could be running between 2023 and 2024. In addition, the company explains that one of the objectives is that all the components of the plants it intends to develop are manufactured by Spanish companies, so that the projects act as tractors of the domestic economy.
Green hydrogen is one of the government's great bets, although it is still in an incipient phase, since only around 500,000 tons of hydrogen are produced and consumed in Spain as a raw material, practically all from fuels fossils, not being a competitive option so far.
For this reason, the sector has been asking for support mechanisms to make the use of hydrogen competitive against other alternatives to demonstrate its viability.
In this sense, Endesa has presented the projects to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to receive part of the 1,500 million that the Executive will invest in the development of green hydrogen as part of the European Recovery Plan.
