Cepsa picks PEM technology supplier for its Spanish green hydrogen project

Spanish Cepsa has selected German Siemens Energy for the supply of 100 megawatts (MW) of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis technology for green hydrogen production at the company’s La Rábida Energy Park in Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, southern Spain.

The PEM electrolysis will complement the use of alkaline water technology that Cepsa has decided to implement for the remaining 300 MW of the 400 MW green hydrogen production project, which the company is developing with partner Fertiberia.

Cepsa said that the combination of technologies is a decisive step for its Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, said to be one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe, aimed at creating a European green hydrogen value chain and delivering decarbonization solutions for industry and heavy transport.

The green electricity required for the project’s production process is to come from solar and wind energy, and according to Cepsa, this is plentiful in southern Spain. The company also noted that the region has access to strategic ports, forming the basis for the maritime corridor that Cepsa has set up with partners to transport hydrogen between the South and North of Europe, ensuring decarbonization solutions across the continent.

This production in Huelva is part of Cepsa’s wider plans for 2 GW of capacity by 2030. 1 GW of capacity is expected in Huelva and 1 GW in Cádiz. The first phase of the plan is still pending the final investment decision (FID).

Carlos Barrasa, Executive Vice President of Commercial and Clean Energies at Cepsa, commented: “Cepsa continues to execute important strategic agreements to develop the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, enabling us to bring crucial green molecules to our customers as we support their decarbonization journeys. Produced at scale, green hydrogen can power Europe to a zero-carbon energy system. Through a combination of electrolyzer technologies, Cepsa can manage technology risk to ensure supply for our customers.”

Alexey Ustinov, Head of Sustainable Energy Systems at Siemens Energy, stated: “We are delighted to be part of Cepsa’s ‘Green Hydrogen Valley’ project, as there will be no energy transition without green molecules. The industry is ready, production capacity of electrolyzers is no longer the bottleneck in ramping up the hydrogen economy. Our Berlin multi-gigawatt electrolyzer factory is a good example of this. But we need a faster pace of funding approvals and fewer technocratic hurdles to ensure that such projects can make their decisive contribution to decarbonization across Europe.”

To remind, Cepsa chose thyssenkrupp nucera, the hydrogen business of German-based thyssenkrupp, as the preferred supplier of the 300-megawatt (MW) electrolyzer for the project. Thyssenkrupp nucera will assist in the design and engineering of the hydrogen facility through to the FID, and the project will use 15 of its standardized scalum electrolyzer units with a capacity of 20 MW each.