Spain accelerates its renewable hydrogen roadmap industrial, port and mobility projects are beginning to arrive in the country. In parallel, the academic and business communities are finalizing key events to discuss how to integrate this molecule into real-life processes and supply chains with a tangible economic impact.
Among the initiatives that attract attention is the RH2EDIN conference in Algeciras, promoted by the University of Cadiz and the Technological Campus Foundation, where Green hydrogen and Power-to-X solutions will take center stage. There, transport corridors will be put on the table, hydrogen valleys, storage, and business models that allow you to make the leap from the laboratory to the factory floor, with leading speakers from the industrial and scientific fields.
Cartagena takes the lead: industry, port, and a 100 MW electrolyzer
Repsol has chosen the Cartagena industrial complex to build its first large renewable hydrogen electrolyzer (100 MW), with the capacity to produce around 15.000 tons per year. The objective is to progressively replace conventional hydrogen with renewable hydrogen in its processes, moving towards low-emission industrial centers.
The investment will exceed 300 millones de euros and it is estimated that it will mobilize around 900 jobs between direct, indirect and induced during the different phases of the project. Repsol assumes the leadership with the participation of Enagas Renovable, which enters with 25% of the capital, in a move that strengthens collaboration between national energy players.
The project has been recognized as IPCEI by the European Commission and the Government of Spain and will have 155 million euros in support from IDAE. In addition to its use as a feedstock in synthetic fuels, advanced biofuels and lower-footprint chemicals, the company is studying the injection of some of the hydrogen in existing networks and in the future Hydrogen Backbone Network. The operational start is in the 2029 horizon.
The installation will allow to avoid up to 167.000 tons of CO2 per year, a milestone aligned with the European Green Deal. Repsol, which is already the main producer and consumer of hydrogen on the peninsula, thus taking a further step towards decarbonize its production and gain technological traction in an increasingly demanding European market.
The industrial drive is complemented by the port strategy. At World Hydrogen Week in Copenhagen, the Port Authority of Cartagena presented its plan to become green hydrogen and derivatives logistics hubAmong the measures: adaptation of docks to new traffic, connection facilities (pipe galleries, industrial land with access to electricity and water) and promotion of north-south trade agreements for connecting producers and consumersThe port's experience in the safe handling of chemical and energy products provides a key operational foundation for this transition.
Value chain and territories: networks, synthetic fuels and talent
For hydrogen to reach where it is needed, infrastructure is decisiveEnagás, designated Provisional Manager of the Hydrogen Transport Network (HTNO), is working on the Spanish Hydrogen Trunk Network to link production and demand points. One of the projects that will be connected to this network is the manufacturing of e-methanol (200.000 t/year) in Puertollano, driven by Magnon, ErasmoPower2X and Power2X: Magnon will provide biogenic CO2 captured in its biomass plant, while green hydrogen will arrive from Saceruela, with the support of a photovoltaic development of around 1 GW.
E-methanol opens the door to industrial and energy uses high added value: from its potential as a basis for renewable aviation fuels (eSAF) to petrochemical and plastics applications. The combination of sustainable biomass, carbon capture and renewable hydrogen works as lever for decarbonization and to strengthen energy autonomy.
The institutional and academic component is also driving the process. In Algeciras, the RH2EDIN conference will bring together researchers, companies, and administrations. six lines of work covering renewable generation, hydrogen production, transport corridors, energy valleys, storage and Power-to-X. Its presentations will feature voices from industry and academia—such as INERCO, the Spanish Hydrogen Association and profiles linked to the University of Huelva— with an agenda that combines conferences and scientific communications to bringing technologies down to earth of ports and factories.
The organization keeps open the submission of communication proposals and registration, and will include spaces for professional relationships to forge alliances. The expectation is clear: to turn the Strait area into a innovation pole linked to renewable hydrogen and logistics value chains.
Training will be another differentiating factor, with initiatives of technical training in green hydrogenHuelva launches a course of 180h Aimed at personnel in auxiliary industries, with free training and hours compatible with the working day, in coordination with UNIA and the University of Huelva. In parallel, the project MOEVE It plans a first phase of 405 MW of electrolysis and the creation of more than 10.000 jobs, reinforcing the province's commitment to the energy transition and attracting industrial investment.
Aragon provides examples of mobility and recharging. The Aragon Hydrogen Foundation visited the El Cisne station (Zoilo RÃos Group) to learn about initiatives such as ECOASIS, which integrates renewable generation, storage and green hydrogen for ultra fast charging of electric vehicles, and the hydrogen station that supplies the first regular renewable hydrogen bus line between Zaragoza and its airport. In addition, a hybrid truck (hydrogen and renewable diesel) is being tested, which can be recharged in less than 15 minutes, with the aim of reducing emissions—up to around 135 tCO2 annually—on real logistics routes.
The simultaneous deployment of industry, ports, networks, training and mobility outlines a path of progressive adoption of green hydrogen in Spain: anchor projects such as Cartagena, synthetic fuels in Puertollano, a backbone network underway and territories that are committed to talent and innovation show that the energy transition is beginning to take shape, step by step, with a shared vision between companies, administrations and knowledge centers.
