Spain's ecological transition ministry has opened a consultation period for the country's hydrogen roadmap, which proposes the rollout of at least 4 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030, along with a 25% share for green hydrogen in industrial processes and the creation of a guarantees of origin system to support it.
The consultation phase will last until Sept. 11 and proposes 57 measures to be implemented by 2030. These will be separated into four main areas of activity. In terms of regulation, the ministry intends to create a guarantees of origin system to ensure the hydrogen is produced from 100% renewable sources.
A second area covers the use of hydrogen in industrial processes, the energy sector and mobility, the ministry said. One of the objectives is for a 25% share of green hydrogen in industrial processes, according to the draft document.
For the mobility sector, the ministry proposes a fleet of 150 buses, 5,000 light and heavy vehicles, and two commercial train lines run from renewable hydrogen, all with an associated refueling network.
The third area will look at the interaction of hydrogen in a social context and the fourth will be the development of research and development in the new sector, including plans to design larger scale electrolyzers of up to 100 MW capacity.
Spain currently produces around 500,000 tonnes of hydrogen annually in its refinery, chemical and fertilizer sectors, generating 5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
The country's gas grid operator, Enagas SA, is involved in a proposal for a Europe-wide hydrogen network alongside 10 other transmission system operators, named the European Hydrogen Backbone, which intends to create a 22,900-kilometer grid by 2040.
On a local level, the company is already involved in the Green Spider project, which has been presented to the EU as a "project of common interest" and entails the shipping and trucking of hydrogen from Spain to Northern Europe.
The EU recently released its hydrogen strategy, targeting at least 6 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers by 2024, producing 1 million tonnes of hydrogen. In a second phase, from 2025 to 2030, the bloc is aiming for at least 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers and the production of up to 10 million tonnes of hydrogen.
Gianluca Baratti is a reporter with S&P Global Platts. S&P Global Market Intelligence and S&P Global Platts are owned by S&P Global Inc.