Repsol has announced a major milestone in its strategic plan with the approval of its first large-scale electrolyzer, featuring a capacity of 100 MW, at its industrial complex in Cartagena, eastern Spain. The facility is expected to produce up to 15,000 tons of renewable hydrogen per year, which will be used as feedstock to manufacture lower-carbon products. This represents a key step in Repsol’s roadmap to replace conventional hydrogen with renewable hydrogen across its industrial sites.
The project has been recognized as strategic and of common European interest (IPCEI) by both the European Commission and the Government of Spain. It will receive €155 million in support from the Spanish Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE). The development, involving Repsol in collaboration with Enagás Renovable, which holds a 25% stake, is a technological challenge given the scale of the electrolyzer.
With an investment exceeding €300 million, the project is expected to create approximately 900 jobs across its various phases. Once operational, the electrolyzer alone will prevent up to 167,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to about two-thirds of Spain’s entire fleet of pure electric vehicles in 2024.
The plant is slated to begin operations in 2029 and will serve as a central element of the Hydrogen Valley in the Region of Murcia, one of Spain’s key regional initiatives. The project aims to develop an efficient ecosystem, matching renewable hydrogen production with industrial demand. There are also plans for potential integration of the renewable hydrogen into the natural gas network and the Spanish Hydrogen Backbone in the future.
Repsol is currently the largest producer and consumer of hydrogen on the Iberian Peninsula, accounting for 60% of national production and 4% of hydrogen consumption in Europe, with an annual output of around 360,000 tons across its industrial complexes. Enagás Renovable operates as an independent energy producer specializing in renewable gases and decarbonization projects, with a current portfolio in Spain of 20 initiatives focused on renewable hydrogen and biomethane.
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