Iberdrola signs deal to build new 20 MW hydrogen unit

Barcelona — Spain's Iberdrola said July 24 it had signed a deal to build a green hydrogen unit that will be integrated with the fertilizer plant belonging to Fertiberia in Puertollano and be the largest green hydrogen plant of of its kind in Europe.

The project will include a 100 MW photovoltaic array and the installation of a 20 MWh battery system to produce 100% green hydrogen via a 20 MW electrolysis unit.

It will require investment of Eur150 million ($174 million) and the plant is expected on line in 2021.

Iberdrola and Fertiberia will use the hydrogen produced for the latter's 200,000 mt/year ammonia plant at Puertollano, making it the first large-scale initiative in the green ammonia sector in Europe.

The plant will be updated to use the green hydrogen produced, enabling the production of green fertilizer.

"We can see that this is a clear opportunity for clean energy consumption in the future and of course we would like to be at the forefront of this development," Iberdrola CEO Ignacio Sanchez Galan said July 22 on a conference call with analysts.

Spain presently produces around 500,000 mt of hydrogen annually in its refinery, chemical and fertilizer sectors, generating 5 million mt/year of CO2.