Coal mining town becomes European centre for green hydrogen

The transformation comes as the result of a £136mn investment by the Bilbao-based utility company Iberdrola and the chemical company Fertiberia. The new plant will avoid around 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. 

The hydrogen will be produced by Iberdrola using a 100MW photovoltaic solar plant, an electrolytic hydrogen production system and a 20MWh lithium ore battery system. 

Once produced, the green hydrogen will be used by Fertiberia to produce green fertilizers at its ammonia plant in Palos de la Frontera in Huelva.

Iberdrola’s chairman, Ignacio Galán, commented: “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.”