Engás Renovable and Naturgy have unveiled plans for a 280MW renewable hydrogen production plant on the site of Naturgy’s former thermal power plant in La Robla, Spain.

Set to be operational in 2026, the plant demands an investment of €485m and aims to avoid more than 430,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere.

Maximum capacity of the plant was initially set at 60MW, but with demands from potential industry consumers in the area, and its proximity to the future hydrogen pipeline backbone, its output has been increased to 280MW. The companies claim an increased capacity will help reduce the costs of renewable hydrogen production, which will be a competitive advantage for local and regional companies.

Antón Martínez, Engás Renovable CEO, said, “This project reinforces our commitment to the energy transition and will support the decarbonisation of industries in the area, which will also be able to benefit from the efficiencies generated by the increase in production capacity.”

The project has the identification of local consumers in La Robla to support the decarbonisation of industries and activities in the territory.

The development of the production plant will be associated with the start-up of a solar photovoltaic generation project, comprising various farms located in neighbouring municipalities with a total capacity of around 450MWp.

Last year, Naturgy teamed up with Repsol and Reganosa to develop a renewable hydrogen production plant in Meirama, Galicia, Spain, with potential of boasting up to 200MW of electrolyser capacity.

The plant is claimed to have an initial electrolysis capacity of 30MW, scalable to a potential 200MW, and capable of producing over 4,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year in its first phase and could reach up to 30,000 tonnes per year.

Silvia Sanjoaquín, Director of New Businesses at Naturgy, said, “This project (La Robla) will allow the development of renewable hydrogen production, promoting a quantum leap to develop economies of scale and improve competitiveness.”

Sara Aagesen, Secretary of State for Energy, added, “The development of renewable hydrogen is a key tool in the just transition and this in turn constitutes a vector for reindustrialisation in this area.”