Large-scale solar to RFNBO hydrogen production plant in Aragón, Spain, for industrial and mobility applications

Introduction

The use of renewable hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels and feedstocks will play an important role in the EU’s transition towards climate neutrality by 2050, and the achievement of the objectives set forth in the REPowerEU plan.

Project Overview

HYSENCIA project will be developed by ANGUS ENTERPRISE S.L., a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) 100% owned by DH2 ENERGY ESPAÑA S.L.

Production Details

The HYSENCIA project will produce renewable hydrogen categorised as renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) through electrolysis with a pressurized alkaline electrolyser with a planned installed capacity of 35 megawatt electric (MWe).

Technology Selection

A pressurized alkaline electrolyser was selected for its rapid response to any fluctuations in electrical intensity or power. This selection aims to minimize stack degradation and allows to mitigate operation fails and production stops.

Operational Capacity

The plant will operate for 30 years and will be able to produce on average 1,689 tonnes of RFNBO hydrogen per year during its first 10 years of operation.

Renewable Energy Supply

The project will source its renewable energy supply via a nearby 49 Megawatt-peak (MWp) captive solar photovoltaic panel (PV) plant.

PV Plant Performance

The PV plant, fully dedicated to the production of renewable hydrogen, will generate an annual average amount of 99 gigawatt-hour (GWh) renewable electricity during its first 10 years of operation.

Compliance with Regulations

Because HYSENCIA’s electrolyser will be powered solely from this PV plant, 100% of the energy used will comply with the additionality, temporal and geographical correlation requirements established by the Delegated Act (EU) 2023/1184 to produce hydrogen categorised as RFNBO.

Location and Logistics

Situated in Aragon, Spain, a prominent logistics and industrial hub, the HYSENCIA project is positioned at the junction of major transportation routes connecting the centre, north and east of Spain, and southern France.

Off-Takers

The project coordinator is planning to have a strong combination of industrial and mobility sector off-takers. For example:

1. The industrial off-taker is expected to be a local food industrial company.
2. The mobility off-takers are local transport and logistic companies.

Contribution to European Goals

This project contributes to the European Hydrogen Bank’s goal of making 10 million tonnes of domestically produced renewable hydrogen in Europe available by 2030.