Spain: Naturgy plans to build almost 40 hydrogen filling stations by 2025
Naturgy presented to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge; to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and to the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain a project for the construction of 38 hydrogen stations nationwide that seeks to provide refueling service to the urban and interurban transport and thus promote sustainable mobility in the Iberian Peninsula. In a second phase, the total infrastructure to be developed will reach 120 refueling facilities.
The initiative proposes two models of service stations in its first phase: 20 facilities with on-site hydrogen production by means of an electrolyzer or an external plant; and 18 facilities without on-site production. In all of them, hydrogen will be supplied through a pump adapted to the needs of the vehicles.
The 38 refueling points will be distributed throughout the national geography, taking advantage of the company’s hydrogen production centers located in La Robla, Meirama, Valencia, Palos and Alcázar de San Juan. The stations will be located in Andalusia, Castilla-la Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Community of Madrid, Galicia, Valencian Community, Region of Murcia, Aragon, Navarra, Extremadura, Balearic Islands, Asturias, Cantabria and Basque Country.
The company estimates that it will have the 38 hydrogen stations in operation before 2025, although 80% of them will be open between 2023 and 2024. The sizing of the stations was carried out based on a potential annual demand of about 75,500 kg of hydrogen, equivalent to the refueling of 13 buses or 100 light vehicles. Subsequently, it will be evaluated that these facilities can supply rail transport in the national network.
The deployment of this infrastructure represents an innovation, since it will allow to meet the development needs of sustainable mobility and increase the European hydrogen station network. On the other hand, at an environmental level, the use of the new technologies proposed by this project implies a reduction in emissions compared to conventional technologies. Naturgy estimates a non-renewable primary energy saving of 124 GWh/year and an emission reduction of more than 30,000 tons of CO2 per year.