SEVILLE – Andalucia is focusing on green hydrogen. Juanma Moreno, the president of the Junta, presents an ambitious green hydrogen project ‘Andalucian Green Hydrogen Valley’, from oil company Cepsa, during the climate summit in Dubai.
With the focus on green hydrogen, Andalucia expects the sector to generate up to 10,000 jobs. For this, the autonomous region is counting on the Andalucian Green Hydrogen Valley project of the Spanish oil company Cepsa. It is the largest project of its kind in Europe. Cepsa is investing €3 billion in the plan.
The president of Andalucia presented the plan during the climate summit in Dubai together with Joaquín Rodríguez Jadraque of Cepsa. Rodríguez is director of Hydrogen and Clean Energy at the oil company.
A new project is an incentive for many people
According to Moreno, Andalucia owes this project to the strategic location of the region. Moreover, the regional president believes that ‘The Andalucian Green Hydrogen Valley’ will be a boost for 400 small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed people. Moreno therefore chooses to position Andalucia as a “powerhouse” in Europe in the field of green hydrogen production. The development offers opportunities to review and renew the industry in the area.
Clean and sustainable
The regional president has argued that Andalucia has a leading role in Europe when it comes to the energy transition to a clean and sustainable model. Thanks to globally relevant partners such as Cepsa, it is possible to take important steps. Moreno indicated that Andalucia is placing itself at “the forefront of new energy. It will move the world in a very short time, linked to the development of green hydrogen”.
Andalucia is ideal for new project
According to him, Andalucia was deliberately chosen because it is the autonomous region in Spain with the most competitive production costs. In addition, Andalucia has an exceptional availability of natural resources such as wind and solar energy and gas infrastructure. It is therefore relatively easy to introduce the new energy into the European transport and distribution networks.
Green hydrogen corridor
“Spain and Andalucia are extremely well placed to become the new energy powers in Europe,” Moreno said. He emphasised that together with Cepsa, the first green hydrogen corridor in Europe will also be realised between the ports of Algeciras (Cádiz) and Rotterdam.
Green ammonia
Moreno specifically explained that from the port of Algeciras, the most efficient in the European Union, green hydrogen, also called ‘green ammonia’, will be transported to the port of Rotterdam. This product from Andalucia will serve to supply clean energy to the major industrial centers of both the economy and industry.
Six thousand new jobs
Juanma Moreno emphasised that there are nine other projects related to this technology in the pipeline. In addition to the Andalucian Green Hydrogen Valley, those plans will soon become reality. The new plans represent an investment of more than €1.8 billion. The new developments also create more than 6,000 new jobs.
Moreno clarifies that, together with Cepsa’s €3 billion for the Andalucian Green Hydrogen Valley, almost another €5 billion are being mobilised to develop leading technology. At this point, he expressed his appreciation for the public-private partnership that made these projects possible.
Huge CO2 savings
According to Cepsa, the Andalucian Green Hydrogen Valley is the most ambitious renewable hydrogen project in Spain and Europe. The oil company says that with the launch of this project, six million tons of CO2 emissions per year can be avoided. This accelerates the ecological transition and ensures greater energy independence, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Through centers in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) and San Roque (Cádiz), Cepsa aims to have a total capacity of 2 GW of electrolysis or the production of a total of 300,000 tons of green hydrogen in Andalucia.
Also read: Spain can become the most important European supplier of sustainable hydrogen
