José Ignacio Zudaire describes the BH2C in the Guide to Innovation in the Basque Country 2024 as an innovative initiative to lead the way in Europe.
José Ignacio Zudaire, President of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor (BH2C) Association, has contributed an article to the Guide to Innovation in the Basque Country 2024, published by Estrategia Empresarial.
In his article, Zudaire states that the BH2C, a project that began in early 2020, has now firmly established itself as an organisation not only committed to decarbonisation but also to developing Basque industry and technology and to strengthening the entire value chain. The initiative provides a unique opportunity not only to reduce the Basque Country's energy dependence but also to minimise its reliance on imported raw materials and technology, something that has not been the case with renewable energies.
54 projects are currently being taken forward within the BH2C, including a synthetic fuel plant in the port of Bilbao; a 100 MW electrolyser, considered an IPCEI by the European Union; the commissioning of the world's first palladium alloy membrane manufacturing plant to obtain high-purity hydrogen from ammonia or methanol through the company H2SITE; H2SAREA, led by Nortegas, a project to test the effectiveness of blending and injecting different percentages of green hydrogen with natural gas into the current natural gas network; the first prototype of a long-distance hydrogen-powered coach, manufactured by the company Irizar; initiatives successfully spearheaded by the companies CAF and Talgo to develop prototypes of hydrogen trains; and a prototype of a hydrogen-powered furnace, developed by the company Sarralle. In the area of mobility, work has begun on the hydrogen refuelling station in the Abanto Technology Park, and the refuelling station and the truck loading station will be operational by the end of 2025.
Five years on from its founding, the BH2C has already earned international recognition as a benchmark initiative. In 2022, it was named European H2 Valley of the Year, and recently, Mission Innovation and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership recognised the BH2C as one of the world's eight leading Hydrogen Valleys.
Finally, public-private colaboration is essential if progress is to continue to be made. Regulatory development, speeding up the permitting process, developing the necessary infrastructure and adequate funding are all key issues in an emerging sector where Europe can achieve a position of leadership if it continues along this path of innovation, because the need is still there.
Source: Estrategia Empresarial
