Iberdrola to Launch Green Hydrogen Plant With Solar and BESS System

Iberdrola has signed an agreement with Fertiberia to construct the largest plant to produce green hydrogen for industrial use in Europe.

Spanish multinational electric utility Iberdrola has announced that it has signed an agreement with Fertiberia, which will trigger investment of 150 million euros, to construct the largest plant to produce green hydrogen for industrial use in Europe. The Spanish companies are to build the plant in Puertollano and it will be operational in 2021.

Iberdrola will be responsible for the production of green hydrogen from 100 percent renewable sources. The solution will consist of a 100 MW photovoltaic solar plant, a lithium-ion battery system with a storage capacity of 20 MWh and one of the largest electrolytic hydrogen production systems in the world (20 MW).

The green hydrogen produced will be used at Fertiberia’s ammonia plant in Puertollano. This plant is already one of the most efficient in the European Union, with a production capacity of more than 200,000 t/year. Fertiberia will update and modify the plant to be able to use the green hydrogen produced to manufacture green fertilizers.

“The partnership with Iberdrola allows Fertiberia to take a further step in its ambition to become a European reference for sustainable solutions for agriculture and to lead the paradigm shift required for the energy transition in the chemical sector, thanks to the manufacture of green ammonia from domestic renewable energy sources”, indicates Javier Goñi, the president of Fertiberia.

Once operational, the project is expected to avoid 39,000 tCO2/year of carbon emissions every year.

“Today we are launching the first major green hydrogen project in Europe, demonstrating that thanks to renewables and technological innovation, it is possible to continue to meet the needs of the electrification and decarbonisation of our industry. The initiative shows the path and opportunities offered by the energy transition to develop innovative projects as the focus for industrialisation and employment in our country”, explains Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán.