'Appetite for green hydrogen production in Spain is about 150% higher than national roadmap target'

In total, 11GW of new hydrogen production projects are currently in the pipeline in Spain — 91% of which (about 10GW) plan to use clean electricity to power electrolysers — with a total investment lined up of more than €21bn ($23bn), says the association in an analysis of its findings.

“The projects registered predict a very ambitious appetite for hydrogen production that, with the appropriate incentives and public aid, could reach almost 8GW by 2020 and 11GW from 2026 [onwards],” it says.

“Spain’s potential in the field of green or low-carbon hydrogen is due to three key advantages,” says AeH2. “First of all, its privileged geographical position allows it to produce renewable hydrogen in large quantities, not only to be self-sufficient and meet [the country’s own] needs, but also to export renewable hydrogen to northern Europe.

“Secondly, Spain has an important technological and scientific base. Lastly, the third advantage is industrial, there are entities that cover each link of the hydrogen value chain.”

“Of the 17 projects focused on the use of hydrogen in industry, 67% are for use in oil refining and the petrochemical industry, while 15% of these are for the production of ammonia.”

These add up to an annual consumption of close to 300,000 tonnes — 60% of the current consumption of grey hydrogen.

This implies that there must be 78 public hydrogen filling stations installed in Spain by the end of the decade.