Ciudad Real, a city in the south-central region of Spain, is gearing up to become a hydrogen hub with the launch of the Erasmopower2X project. This ambitious initiative aims to promote the production, storage, and use of green hydrogen to decarbonize the local industry and transport sectors, thereby reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
Erasmopower2X is a joint project between the public and private sectors, with the collaboration of the regional government, the University of Castilla-La Mancha, and several companies, including Repsol, Iberdrola, Siemens-Gamesa, and Enagás. The project has a budget of €7 million and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
The main objective of the project is to build a green hydrogen ecosystem in Ciudad Real, based on the use of renewable energy sources and the latest technologies. The project involves the installation of a 2 MW electrolyzer, powered by a 4 MW photovoltaic plant, which will produce up to 330 tons of green hydrogen per year.
The green hydrogen produced will be used to power a fleet of 12 fuel cell buses, operated by the city’s public transport company, as well as for other applications, such as the production of green ammonia and the supply of hydrogen to local industries.
The project also includes the construction of a hydrogen refuelling station, which will be open to the public and will allow the deployment of more fuel cell vehicles in the region. The refuelling station will have a capacity of up to 80 kg of hydrogen per day and will be supplied by a pipeline from the electrolyzer plant.
The Erasmopower2X project has the potential to make a significant impact on the energy transition in Ciudad Real and the surrounding region. The use of green hydrogen as a clean and renewable energy carrier can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and create new job opportunities in the hydrogen value chain.
The project also aims to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors and to promote research and innovation in the field of hydrogen technologies. It is expected that the experience gained from the project will be useful for the development of similar initiatives in other regions of Spain and beyond.
