Europe’s big hydrogen projects advance

The energy company Iberdrola is advancing one of Europe’s largest green hydrogen projects with the award of a contract for the construction of a 20 MW electrolyzer in Puertollano, Spain, to the Norwegian firm Nel. Featuring polymer electrolyte membrane technology, the electrolyzer will use energy from a solar photovoltaic plant to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Costing about $175 million, the facility is set to generate 720 metric tons (t) per year of green hydrogen. Iberdrola plans to start producing hydrogen at the site in 2021. The firm disclosed in the summer that the hydrogen it generates will be purchased by fertilizer producer Fertiberia for combining with nitrogen to form ammonia. Fertiberia already operates an ammonia plant at the site with a capacity of more than 200,000 t per year. Separately, the energy firm RWE has signed an agreement with the chemical producer OCI to supply green hydrogen using water electrolysis powered by onshore wind in Eemshaven, the Netherlands. RWE also plans to supply the hydrogen to Evonik Industries. RWE intends to install a 50 MW electrolyzer but has not yet determined how much hydrogen it will produce.