The Valle H2V Navarra joint project by ACCIONA Energia and Plug Power to construct a large-scale, environmentally friendly hydrogen production facility in Rocaforte, Sangüesa, has been presented to the Navarra government.
The 25MW electrolyzer will be built on the parcels of land next to the Sangüesa biomass plant as part of the project, which is now in the development stage. The photovoltaic plant (25 MW) and the wind farm (24 MW), both newly constructed facilities that are now under construction, will create hybrid renewable energy that will be used to power the electrolyzer.
Almost 500 direct, indirect, and induced jobs will be created as a result of the initiatives of ACCIONA Energia and Plug Power, totaling €87 million in associated investments.
When completed, the plant will be able to produce 3,880 tons of green hydrogen annually. The main energy-intensive industries in the region, such as paper, glass, steel, food, and automotive, are intended to consume 90% of the green hydrogen produced with the goal of assisting in their decarbonization and lowering their CO2 emissions. This includes Plug Power’s clients in the material handling, stationary power, and on-road mobility applications. A hydrogen station will be built at the same area to use the remaining 10% for the transportation industry.
Depending on how demand changes in the future, the project envisions expanding the hydrogen plant to provide double the initial desired electrolysis capacity (50MW).
Project of Regional Interest
The President, Maria Victoria Chivite, the Regional Minister of Economic and Business Development, Mikel Irujo, and the General Director of Industry, Uxue Itoiz, were among the Navarra Government members who attended the presentation. Moreover, Mara Eugenia Pérez, the president of the Rocaforte Council, and Sangüesa Mayor Lucia Echegoyen took part. The project was represented by Alan Ripa, CEO of ACCIONAPLUG, Rafael Mateo, Chairman of ACCIONAPLUG and CEO of ACCIONA Energia, and Alastair Leapman, European Sales Director for Plug Power’s Applications Business segment.
The regional government will declare the Valle H2V Navarra project to be an investment of interest for the region during its session tomorrow, according to Navarra’s president, Maria Chivite, during a meeting. This will hasten its development and processing. Along with the investment and jobs it will generate, she also emphasized the project’s “strategic” nature by saying that it “will provide clean energy to the industrial ecosystem of the region, where there are companies that are large consumers of energy, and because it will put Sangüesa on the map of innovation.”
The project unites all the essential components of the value chain for green hydrogen, including infrastructure for production, storage, and delivery. It will then be one of the biggest hydrogen facilities to be operational in Europe.
By generating green hydrogen by the end of 2024, the Valle H2V Navarra project will enable the government of Navarra to meet the goals set forth in the Navarra Green Hydrogen Agenda, a development plan for a green hydrogen ecosystem, which calls for the installation of between 10MW and 30MW of production by 2024 and 150MW by 2030 in the area.
Green hydrogen solutions
ACCIONAPLUG, a 50/50 joint venture between Plug Power, a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, and ACCIONA Energia, a global leader in renewable energies, is developing the Valle H2V Navarra project. These solutions include electrolyzers, fuel cells, trolleys, and liquefaction.
The partnership, which has its headquarters in Madrid, combines Plug Power’s industry-leading electrolyzer technology with ACCIONA Energia’s position as the top supplier of 100% renewable energy in Spain and Portugal, two nations where ACCIONAPLUG is developing green hydrogen projects.
Spain and Portugal, which profit from a large proportion of renewable resources, are prepared to take the lead in the decarbonization of the European economy. In October 2020, the Spanish government unveiled their hydrogen plan, and in August 2020, Portugal approved its own. By 2030, ACCIONAPLUG wants to hold 20% of the market.
