- The plant will entail an investment of 485 million euros and will avoid more than 430,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, contributing to the decarbonisation of the industrial processes of the companies in the area
- This increased capacity will help to reduce the costs of renewable hydrogen production, which will be a competitive advantage for local and regional companies
- The project has the identification of local consumers in the area of La Robla to support the decarbonisation of industries and activities in the territory
- The Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, took part in the presentation of the project in La Robla together with representatives of the Just Transition Institute (ITJ) and the regional, autonomous and local administrations. On behalf of the project, the CEO of Enagás Renovable, Antón Martínez, and the Director of New Businesses at Naturgy, Silvia Sanjoaquín, took part
According to the company’s website press release on February 14, 2023, In La Robla, Enagás Renovable and Naturgy have presented the project for the construction of a renewable hydrogen plant with a production capacity of up to 280 MW.
This new plant, scheduled to start up in 2026 and with an estimated investment of 485 million euros, will be located on the site of Naturgy’s former thermal power plant, which was authorised to close in 2020 and is currently in the process of being decommissioned. Enagás Renovable and Naturgy have set up the joint venture Robla Hub to carry out the project.
The presentation ceremony was attended by the Secretary of State for Energy of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen; the Government Delegate in Castilla y León, Virginia Barcones Sanz; the Mayor of La Robla, Santiago Dorado Cañón; the Director of the Institute for Just Transition, Laura Martín Murillo; the President of the Provincial Council of León, Eduardo Morán Pacios; the Director General of Energy and Mines of the Government of Castilla y León, Alfonso Arroyo González; and the Government sub-delegate in León, Faustino Sánchez Samartino. The project was presented by the CEO of Enagás Renovable, Antón Martínez, and the Director of New Businesses at Naturgy, Silvia Sanjoaquín.
At the event, the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, stressed that “the development of renewable hydrogen is a key tool in the just transition and this in turn constitutes a vector for reindustrialisation in this area.”
The CEO of Enagás Renovable, Antón Martínez, emphasised that “this project reinforces our commitment to the energy transition and will support the decarbonisation of industries in the area, which will also be able to benefit from the efficiencies generated by the increase in production capacity.”
For her part, Silvia Sanjoaquín, Director of New Businesses at Naturgy, pointed out the opportunities that the new green hydrogen project in La Robla will generate in the region and Spain’s potential in the promotion of renewable gases. “This project will allow the development of renewable hydrogen production, promoting a quantum leap to develop economies of scale and improve competitiveness,” she explained.
The development of the renewable hydrogen production plant in La Robla will be associated with the start-up of a solar photovoltaic generation project.
Comprising various farms located in neighbouring municipalities, with a total capacity of around 450 MWp. Although the maximum capacity of the renewable hydrogen production plant was initially set at 60 MW, the existence of potential industrial consumers in the area and the proximity to the future hydrogen pipeline backbone will allow the electrolysis capacity to be increased to 280 MW.
The new sizing of the Hydrogen Production Plant will achieve economies of scale, reducing the production costs of renewable hydrogen and thus increasing the competitive advantages of the consuming companies. In addition, the project is eligible for the different calls for applications for subsidies available at national and European level for the development of renewable hydrogen.
Decarbonisation and boosting local and regional development
The renewable hydrogen production plant in La Robla will prevent the emission of more than 430,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year, contributing to the decarbonisation of industrial processes and the development of sustainable mobility.
The project also seeks to be a vector for local development, supporting the decarbonisation of activities in the area, for which it has a number of potential consumers in industry, such as the Cementos Tudela Veguín factory in La Robla. Sustainable mobility actions are also planned in the Autonomous Community, such as those promoted by the company Alsa for intercity lines in the province.
This renewable project is aligned with the decarbonisation targets of the European Union, Spain’s renewable hydrogen roadmap of the Just Transition Strategy, and the recent RePowerEU Plan to promote energy independence in the European Union.
The development of this project reinforces Enagás Renovable and Naturgy’s commitment to the energy transition and to the mining regions in the framework of the just transition following the cessation of activities such as mining and coal-fired power plants.
The current main objective of the project is to minimise the economic and social impact of the transition in the area and to help develop a green, low-carbon economy. The renewable hydrogen production plant in La Robla will thus provide an important boost to employment and to local and regional social and economic development. In addition to the jobs it will generate in the region, the plant will have a very positive social impact that will favour the repopulation of the area and increase local tax revenues.
Renewable hydrogen, the new ally for decarbonisation
The production of renewable hydrogen is mainly achieved through the electrolysis. In this process, hydrogen is separated from oxygen, using renewable electricity. The process is entirely powered by renewable energy, meaning no pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere. This makes it the cleanest and most sustainable hydrogen production process available.
Renewable hydrogen is a key sustainable solution for decarbonising the economy and supporting climate neutrality by 2050, in line with the European Green Deal.
Renewable hydrogen will play an important role in achieving carbon emission reduction goals, particularly in sectors where it is the most efficient solution in the decarbonisation process. This includes hydrogen-intensive industry and industries with high-temperature processes, long-distance heavy transport, maritime transport, rail transport and aviation. It also has great potential as an energy carrier for energy storage and sectoral integration.
