- Spanish water management company Aqualia is leading a consortium that intends to set up a green hydrogen production facility using sewerage.
The consortium comprises Spain’s energy giants Repsol, as a producer and consumer of hydrogen, and power utilities Naturgy, Redexis, and Reganosa, as gas distributors. It also includes Spanish technology companies Norvento, Perseo, and Técnicas Reunidas.
The pilot project is called Zeppelin and is planned to be implemented at the Isla Verde Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in the port of Algeciras, in the southern region of Andalucia, where Técnicas Reunidas will install several innovative hydrogen production facilities.
The project has a total budget of more than €7 million, with €4.23 million coming from the Spanish government.
The consortium aims to process more than 99 million tons of waste and 50 million tons of municipal wastewater to produce 135,000 tons of green hydrogen per year. “Translated into practical examples, this represents sufficient production for Spanish industry to meet the objectives set out in the Hydrogen Roadmap, or to satisfy the energy needs of the entire Spanish railway network,” Aqualia said in a statement. “The choice of Algeciras as the site for Aqualia’s activities is directly related to the presence of large industries in the area, such as Acerinox, Viesco, Air Liquide, [and]Linde, as well as the port companies, as potential end consumers of green hydrogen.”
The delegate of the government of Spain in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, present at a launch event, recalled that the aid comes from a tender held in July 2021. “More than 500 companies agreed to this call, being resolved in November with 228 accepted projects to receive state subsidies of more than €122 million, plus the €61 million of the applicants,” he said.
The Zeppelin project is another of Repsol’s commitments to green hydrogen in Spain, a race in which it competes head-to-head with Iberdrola.
Técnicas Reunidas is among the 20 partners promoting the Hydrogenizing BCN Initiative, which seeks to develop economically viable business models based on green hydrogen, in several phases.
Aqualia is also involved in the construction of a photovoltaic plant that will power the Rambla Morales desalination plant to make it more sustainable and preserve the environment of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.
Author: Luisa Cabello
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
