Spanish fuel company Cepsa has been recognised by the ‘Best Hydrogen Initiative 2023’ award from Periódico de la Energía for developing the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, said to be the most important project announced so far in Europe, with 2GW of electrolysis capacity.
Carlos Barrasa, Cepsa Director of Commercial and Clean Energies said: “We have made significant progress in developing the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley: we have various agreements all along the value chain, and we have already committed the sale of more than 60% of our green hydrogen production by 2030. All this demonstrates our project’s strength and competitiveness. This recognition excites and motivates us to remain committed to this new energy vector as one of the cornerstones of the energy transition.”
Cepsa-produced green hydrogen will facilitate decarbonisation of the company’s own activity while helping to decarbonise industry, including maritime transport, through its direct use or derivatives such as green ammonia and methanol. With an investment of €3bn, the company is moving forward on the development of this project, which will have two plants with 1GW of capacity each, located in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) and San Roque (Cadiz). The Huelva plant, to be located on Cepsa land near the La Rábida Energy Park in Palos de la Frontera, will start up in 2026, reaching full capacity in 2028. The Campo de Gibraltar plant will be installed in the San Roque Energy Park and will be operational in 2027. In addition, also within the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley framework, Cepsa will build in San Roque the largest green ammonia plant in Europe with a production capacity of up to 750,000t/yr. With an investment of €1bn, this plant will be operational in 2027.
Cepsa is establishing strategic collaborations with leading companies along the hydrogen value chain to promote the sustainability of industry and foster the full development of Andalusia’s hydrogen industry. The development should position Andalusian ports as leaders in supplying new green fuels for maritime transportation. Additionally, Cepsa’s agreement with the Port of Rotterdam has taken the initiative to an international level, as it will allow the first green hydrogen corridor between Northern and Southern Europe to be developed, connecting the ports of Rotterdam and Algeciras. To implement this corridor, Cepsa has partnered with European companies, such as Yara Clean Ammonia, Gasunie, ACE Terminal and GETEC, to bring green hydrogen and ammonia to customers in the north of the continent.
