Construction begins on Spain’s first green hydrogen plant on land

The consortium Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca (P2GH2M), led by ACCIONA and Enagás and including CEMEX and IDAE, has begun construction of the first of two photovoltaic plants in Lloseta (Mallorca), marking the start of the construction of Spain’s first green hydrogen plant on land adjacent to the Cemex factory in Llosta.

The photovoltaic project spans more than six hectares (ha), with 16,660 solar panels producing 8.59 MWP and 13,516 MWh per year. The other plant, located in Petra, will soon begin construction on a 10-hectare addition that will include 12,740 solar panels with a capacity of 6.5 MWP and an annual production of 10,819 MWh.

Both solar systems will create renewable energy to power Llosta’s flow manufacturing plant, which will annually manufacture more than 300 tons of 100 percent green hydrogen.

Each photovoltaic plant is expected to be completed in six months from the date of its inception, and during the plant’s construction phase and the 15 kV line required to transport the energy, 80 workers are employed in each installation, with Priority given to those profiles of workers affected by the ERE of 2019 of the cement of Lloseta.

Local companies will also be involved in the construction of the plants, with some of which service contracts have already been established for the realization of the topography, the execution of the lines connecting the plants’ energy to the grid and civil works, the unfolding and management of trees, the installation of irrigation, and the supply of work equipment.

The solar plants will be constructed in accordance with ACCIONA’s best practices for renewable energy installation construction to ensure safety, the minimal condition of public use spaces, and the restoration and recovery of the site’s soil and biodiversity.

The two plants will be surrounded by autochthonous vegetation indigenous to the terrain on which they are located, promoting landscape integration and preserving the natural heritage. To accomplish this, a strategy has been devised for the proper management of existing trees, including their conservation, relocation or transplantation, and ultimately, their sustainable management by a local enterprise. Additionally, in the case of the PETRA facility, initiatives will include the cleaning and regeneration of area previously occupied by a motorcycle circuit, as well as specific conservation measures for the Mediterranean turtle.

Both plants will be accompanied by a shared-use project with local farmers, allowing the land on which they are located to be utilised as a grassland for sheep herds.

Similarly, an innovative agrovoltaic project will be done in the vicinity of Petra’s photovoltaic plant, on parcels held by Les Illes Balears’ Institut D’-nnovació (IDI) and made available to the project. The activity envisions the appropriateness of parcels for crops, the installation of photovoltaic systems to meet the energy requirements of agricultural land use, as well as the establishment of a greenhouse or irrigation system.

The construction of the Renovable Hydrogen Production Plant via Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca is at the heart of the European Green Hysland project, which is being coordinated by Enagás and is being driven by CEMEX, ACCIONA, and the Institute for Energy Diversification and Savings (IDAE), and in which Redexis will participate through its distribution networks. This project intends to establish the required infrastructures for the development of a renewable hydrogen ecosystem on Mallorca and is funded with ten million euros from the FCH Joint Venture (Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking). Green Hysland is a collaboration of 30 partners from 11 countries, including nine members of the European Union, Chile, and Morocco.

Green hydrogen will have a variety of uses on the island, including fueling bus fleets and fuel cell vehicles via a service station or hydrogenera, generating heat and energy for commercial and public buildings, and powering ferry and port operations.

Additionally, a portion of this green hydrogen will be pumped into the gas infrastructures that the business Redexis has installed on the island, reducing emissions associated with natural gas use through a system of origin assurances built by ACCIONA using Blockchain technology.

The European Green Hysland initiative will invest around 50 million euros in total, which will cover the cost of renewable energy generation, the green hydrogen plant, its transportation and distribution, as well as the equipment for its final applications.