The plant will supply clean hydrogen to the Fertiberia Group’s factory in the town, thereby reducing the consumption of polluting natural gas. The project has been represented as the start of a major plan of more than €2 billion euros to replace imported gas with green hydrogen in the production of ammonia for fertilisers.
With a total investment of €150 million, which includes both the green hydrogen facilities and a dedicated photovoltaic power plant, the Puertollano plant will be able to avoid the emission of 78,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The Puertollano plant will be able to generate 100% green hydrogen through one of the world’s largest electrolysis systems. The project will have zero CO2 emissions thanks to the use of renewable energy from an innovative 100 MW solar photovoltaic plant integrated into the facility.
This plant – the company’s first of its kind in Spain – has bifacial panels and a lithium-ion battery system with a storage capacity of 20 MWh. Its bifacial modules allow for higher production, as they have two light-sensitive surfaces. It will thus have an annual output of around 156,000 MWh.
Boosting economy, creating jobs
The construction of this project has boosted the development of the region’s economy, involving some 80 local companies and creating more than 1,000 jobs, most of them local.
The city of Puertollano could also benefit from a new project being promoted by Iberdrola to use the waste heat produced at the hydrogen plant in the future, as a result of the electrolysis process, to create a 100% green heat network in the municipality. This initiative – a pioneering one for the company – will make it possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels for heating in the town.
The green hydrogen produced at the Iberdrola plant can be used in the Fertiberia Group’s ammonia factory in Puertollano, which, thanks to this technology, will be able to reduce the plant’s natural gas needs and will become the first European company in its sector to develop a large-scale experience in green ammonia generation.
The start-up of the Puertollano plant represents the first phase of the plan that envisages the development by Iberdrola of 40,000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen for Fertiberia’s consumption between now and 2027, with a potential investment of €1.8 billion euros. This initiative would represent 20% of the national target for 2030 and would ensure that around 25% of the hydrogen currently consumed in Spain does not generate CO2 emissions.
This project has been submitted to the Spanish Hydrogen IPCEI, which is subject to analysis by the European Commission. Its materialisation depends on obtaining the expected public support.
