Petronor receives EU support for 100MW electrolyser project.
Petronor will receive EU funds for the commissioning of a 100MW renewable hydrogen production plant. The 'Bay of Biscay Hydrogen' electrolyser project, submitted by Repsol and Petronor, has been considered by the European Commission as "of special importance and common European interest (IPCEI)". Obtaining the IPCEI seal is a real boost for Petronor in the process of developing renewable hydrogen in the Basque Country.
This project has been one of the 7 approved in the whole of Spain, which together are eligible for public subsidies of up to 5.2 billion euros for their start-up. The Repsol and Petronor initiative is for the development, construction and operation of a 100 MW renewable hydrogen production plant, the output from which will be used to decarbonise large industrial consumers in the port of Bilbao, along the left bank of the river and in the surrounding area, thereby enabling these businesses to take a step forward in their decarbonisation processes. In addition, the production of renewable hydrogen locally, using power generated in renewable energy parks on the peninsula, will increase energy supply security for all hydrogen consumers.
The project is currently in the design and development phase. Construction of the plant will begin in 2023, with the facility scheduled to go into production in the second half of 2024. This electrolyser will also supply renewable hydrogen for mobility and heavy transport decarbonisation applications, through infrastructure that will soon be installed in the Energy Intelligence Center of the Ezkerraldea-Meatzaldea Technology Park and which will be directly connected to the production plant.
The 'Bay of Biscay Hydrogen' initiative has an essential role in the development of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor (BH2C). The focus is not only on production, but also on the development of the entire value chain to capitalise on the opportunity for economic and industrial development that renewable hydrogen represents in the energy transition. This project is also one of the main initiatives included in Petronor's Strategy Plan for decarbonisation and the energy transition, which is being rolled out through its subsidiary Alba Emission Free Energy, set up in 2021 for this purpose.
Link: Petronor receives European support for its 100MW electrolyzer project (petronor.eus)
Press release, here.
