Spain’s Hydrogen Valleys programme is beginning to yield tangible project momentum, with Madrid-based developer RIC Energy securing land for a 220MW green hydrogen-derived e-fuels facility in Castilla y León.
The project, located at the Bayo industrial estate in León, marks one of the largest early-stage e-fuel ventures tied to Spain’s €1.2 billion hydrogen funding initiative.
The announcement follows confirmation that RIC Energy has received funding under the Hydrogen Valleys programme, aimed at catalyzing regional green hydrogen ecosystems in line with Spain’s updated Hydrogen Roadmap. The land agreement, signed with Somacyl—the regional public infrastructure and environment agency—provides access to 28 hectares for the planned facility, which is expected to play a key role in scaling synthetic fuel production powered by renewable hydrogen.
While RIC Energy has yet to publish detailed project timelines or electrolyzer specifications, the 220MW figure positions the plant among Spain’s most ambitious hydrogen-to-e-fuels developments to date. It underscores a growing trend toward hydrogen-based synthetic fuels in decarbonization strategies for hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation and maritime transport—sectors that lack viable direct electrification pathways.
Castilla y León, one of Spain’s most energy-exporting regions due to its abundant wind and solar resources, has emerged as a preferred location for large-scale green hydrogen and e-fuel projects. The region’s strategic push for industrial transformation, coupled with existing energy infrastructure and favourable land availability, strengthens the commercial logic behind siting production capacity there.
Somacyl’s involvement reflects a deliberate regional policy to convert public land into clean tech growth zones. The Bayo industrial estate has already been earmarked for expansion and energy transition-related projects. By anchoring green hydrogen and e-fuels production within state-managed industrial zones, regional authorities aim to drive coordinated infrastructure development—most notably grid upgrades, water supply, and potential CO₂ sourcing or offtake linkages for synthetic fuel synthesis.
Spain’s Hydrogen Valleys programme itself is part of a broader national strategy to deploy up to 4 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030. As of mid-2025, just a fraction of that has entered construction. Projects like RIC Energy’s—if they reach final investment decision—could serve as indicators of whether the programme is succeeding in bridging early-stage funding with commercial execution.
Though the full project configuration has not been disclosed, e-fuels production at this scale would typically involve hydrogen from electrolysis combined with captured CO₂ via Fischer-Tropsch or methanol synthesis routes. This approach is capital-intensive, and early-stage funding support is often insufficient to derisk long-term offtake. Whether RIC Energy can secure industrial buyers or aviation partners will be critical to advancing the project beyond land acquisition.
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