Spanish utilities Iberdrola will create a dedicated green hydrogen business unit, as it aims to become a global leader in the technology, Kallanish Energy reports.
CEO Ignacio Galán said in a speech during the New York Climate Week, which took place alongside the UN General Assembly, that the company will produce hydrogen from 100% renewable power.
As it did with renewables 20 years ago, Iberdrola said it’s joining “the new technological challenge” of producing and supplying hydrogen, to respond to the electrification and decarbonization needs of sectors such as industry and heavy transport.
“I only know one way to overcome the crisis: to invest more in forward-looking industries and become more productive and efficient,” said Galán. “The recovery plans announced in Europe and the rest of the world have two clear priorities: the ‘green deal’ and digitalization. But we have to accelerate them.”
The company has taken “initial steps” in green hydrogen development with two projects in Spain and the UK. In fact, the Spanish project is set to be the largest green hydrogen plant for industrial use in Europe, starting in 2021.
The €150 ($174.8) million project in Puertollano will produce hydrogen for Fertiberia’s ammonia factory. It will include a 100-megawatt (MW) solar plant, a 20-megawatt hour (MWh) lithium-ion battery system and a 20-MW electrolysis plant.
In the UK, through subsidiary ScottishPower, the company is involved in the creation of a network of hydrogen plants to supply fleets and heavy transport.
Iberdrola didn’t specify when the green hydrogen unit will be established and its strategic plans.
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