Spain to Boast its First Electrolyzer for Renewable Hydrogen Production

Repsol, a multinational petrochemical and energy company based in Spain, takes a step forward in its joint project of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor with PetraNor E&P by investing USD 10.4 million in Spain’s first electrolyzer for renewable hydrogen production. The installation will take place at Repsol’s Petronor refinery in the Basque country region. The electrolyzer, having a capacity of 2.5 MW, will commence functioning in the second half of the following year. 

An electrolyzer is a device that applies electrical energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The splitting of water is facilitated by the electrochemical reaction that results in the formation of clean and ultrapure hydrogen. The produced hydrogen can be stored as a compressed gas or in the liquified form and can be used to fuel automobiles, houses, industries etc. Despite its many advantages, commercial hydrogen production faces challenges in the form of expensive catalysts used in the setup and a lack of infrastructure for hydrogen storage and transportation. 

Repsol is further planning the installation of a 557 MW capacity electrolyzer by 2025 which will be upgraded to 1.9 GW capacity by the end of 2030.

As per ChemAnalyst, the electrolytic production of hydrogen is a potential option for obtaining zero-carbon hydrogen using renewable sources as feedstock. More and more industries are preferring to adopt green hydrogen production methods owing to the continued pressure from environmental advocates. The demand for hydrogen is expected to grow with a healthy CAGR of over 5% in the coming decade. Spain’s initiative to launch a green hydrogen evolution system at its refineries is a well-thought plan in the direction to dominate the renewable energy sector. Addition of a production unit may result into lowering down of hydrogen prices in the European region.