Iberdrola has launched a new business unit which is set to focus on green hydrogen projects.
On 21 September, Iberdrola Chairman, Ignacio Galán, confirmed that the aim of the unit is to position the group as a world leader in hydrogen. The company is committed to using 100% renewable electricity in the electrolysis process to meet electrification and decarbonisation needs of sectors including industry and heavy transport.
Iberdrola detailed the steps it has already taken, with ambitious projects in both Spain and the UK. In Puertollano, the company is investing €150mn and creating 700 jobs as it develops the largest green hydrogen plant for industrial use in Europe, set to be commissioned in 2021. The project will consist of a 100MW solar photovoltaic plant, a lithium-ion battery system with a storage capacity of 20MWh and one of the world’s largest systems for producing hydrogen by electrolysis at 20MW.
In the UK, meanwhile, through subsidiary, ScottishPower, it is participating in the Green Hydrogen for Scotland project, which is set to implement a network of green hydrogen production plants to supply fleets and heavy transport. The first, set to be located on the outskirts of Glasgow, will use solar and wind to operate a 10MW electrolysis unit.
Speaking during New York Climate Week, Galán said: “I only know one way to overcome the crisis: to invest more in forward-looking industries and become more productive and efficient. The recovery plans announced in Europe and the rest of the world have two clear priorities: the ‘green deal’ and digitalization. But we have to accelerate them.”
