Endesa S A : studies developing 23 green hydrogen projects in Spain with an investment of 2.9 billion euros

• Endesa has notified the Ministry of Ecological Transition of its interest in developing up to 23 renewable hydrogen projects in Spain in different phases of the value chain of this fuel. The associated investment amounts to more than 2.9 billion euros to start up 340MW of power in electrolysers, powered with 2,000 MW of renewable energy.
• The peninsular electrolysis projects (As Pontes, Huelva, Teruel, Almería, Tarragona, Valle del Ebro, Compostilla and Seseña) entail an aggregate investment of 2 billion euros to build eight electrolysers with a capacity of 315 MW. The building phase will create 620 jobs and a further 320 jobs in the subsequent operation and maintenance phase for the next 20 years. Even more jobs will be created related to the start-up of the renewable generation that will feed the electrolysers.
• In the case of non-peninsular projects, which will require another 900 million euros of investment, options are proposed that range from the production of green hydrogen in generation plants (Barranco de Tirajana, Granadilla and Alcudia, with electrolysers that will add 25MW), preparing plants to operate with bi-fuel, and converting other operating plants to work with hydrogen/gas.

Endesa has presented the Ministry of Ecological Transition with a letter of interest to develop up to 23 projects related to green hydrogen in Spain, both on the Peninsula and beyond. The volume of investment associated with this portfolio, including the investment earmarked for renewable plants that will power the operation of the electrolysers, is approximately 2.9 billion euros. The projects include different actions within the green hydrogen value chain: from production to consumption.

' Endesa wants to show its clear commitment to green hydrogen as a key in the energy transition process and the decarbonisation of the economy. These are objectives that we have been working on for years that have marked our strategy of progressive replacement of thermal generation by renewable generation. The 23 green hydrogen projects that we are now presenting are associated with a renewable power capacity of almost 2,000 MW ', said the General Director of Generation of Endesa, Rafael González. This power represents more than half of the 3,900 MW that the company has announced it will start up in Spain between 2021 and 2023, according to the update of its strategic plan announced at the end of last November.

These projects will make a decisive contribution to achieving the objectives set for the first phase (2020-2024) of the Hydrogen Roadmap, launched by the Central Government. All hydrogen production projects require investment in renewable generation parks dedicated to powering the electrolysers. They also have the option of injecting the surplus electricity generated into the grid.

In addition, Endesa is committed to developing a national industry for the manufacture of electrolysers and equipment associated with the start-up of its green hydrogen projects. This is another of the strategic areas of its Hydrogen Roadmap.

Peninsular projects

The most advanced project to date is in As Pontes (A Coruña) and will have a 100 MW electrolyser and six associated wind farms, with a combined capacity of 611 MW. Constructing this project would create around 1,600 jobs during the 18-month process. Building the electrolyser, which would take about 24 months from start to finish, would employ about 120 people. Operation and maintenance, for about 20 years, would require a workforce of about 100 people. The total investment of the As Pontes project will reach 738.2 million euros. Operation of the complex, which would have a production of 10,000 tons of green hydrogen, would employ about 130 people in operation and maintenance tasks (100 in the electrolyser and another 30 in wind farms).

The objective of this first project is to show that a facility of this size can be built, operated and maintained from an economic, technical and environmental point of view.

The other proposals for the Peninsula (see table 1) will be located in Huelva, Teruel, Almería, Tarragona, the Ebro Valley (Hydrogen del Cierzo), Compostilla (León) and Seseña (Toledo). Together they will mean an associated power in electrolysers of 215 MW, the creation of more than 500 jobs in the construction phase and around 220 more in the subsequent operation and maintenance phases.

In total, the projects to be developed in mainland Spain involve a 2,000 million euro investment and electrolysers with an aggregate capacity of 315 MW.