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Industrial
This energy carrier will enable industry to minimise its environmental footprint.
Renewable hydrogen is clean -it is sourced from renewable energies and generates no emissions- and versatile, making it the perfect ally for the decarbonisation of many key sectors of the economy, especially those for which electrification is not a viable solution, such as intensive industry or heavy transport.
This energy vector is a key element in speeding up the energy transition process and favouring a zero net emissions economy. It will also make it possible to achieve the goals of decarbonisation, security of supply and energy sovereignty defined by the European Union’s REPowerEU Plan.
Renewable hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water from renewable electrical energy, such as solar or wind. This process does not emit CO2 and separates the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen. Thanks to its versatility and its ability to be stored and transmitted, this energy carrier allows the decoupling of production and consumption processes, being able to be produced in one place and used in another when needed.
The development of renewable hydrogen will bring benefits in many areas:
The main environmental benefit of renewable hydrogen is the reduction of emissions and the consequent improvement of air quality.
It can be used in key sectors that do not have clear decarbonisation solutions and whose electrification is not technically possible, such as the intensive high-temperature process industry and freight transport. The introduction of green hydrogen in these sectors, which are among the highest emitters into the atmosphere, would help tackle climate change.
The push for green hydrogen can contribute to industrial development, innovation and attract socially responsible investment.
Furthermore, it can be a central axis for guaranteeing national energy security and reducing dependence on third countries, generating this energy from different local renewable sources and with our country’s own resources.
Developing renewable hydrogen from a just transition perspective will promote employment and contribute to the development of local economies.
The following infographic shows the path renewable hydrogen takes from its production to its final use in multiple sectors.
Some of the most common uses of this energy vector are:
Industrial
This energy carrier will enable industry to minimise its environmental footprint.
Mobility
Renewable hydrogen will make it possible to decarbonise heavy transport, one of the sectors that emits the most CO2 into the atmosphere, and improve air quality.
Residential
Green hydrogen for domestic and commercial consumption.
Electricity generation
Re-use of excess renewable electricity generation at peak times to generate green hydrogen to produce electricity.
Spain is very well positioned to produce renewable hydrogen on a large scale thanks to its renewable generation capacity, its geographical location and its consolidated gas infrastructure network, which can serve as the basis for the future hydrogen network.
The boosting of this energy carrier represents an opportunity for Spain and Europe and also poses some challenges:
Enagás is committed to carbon neutrality and energy transition and acts as a driving force behind projects that can serve as a scalable model for the integration of renewable hydrogen, both as a raw material and as an energy carrier.
As an operator of energy infrastructures, it is one of the promoter companies of H2med, Europe’s first renewable hydrogen corridor, together with its counterparts in France, Portugal and Germany. The company also promotes the Spanish Hydrogen Backbone, which includes the development of two hydrogen storage facilities in Spain. Both initiatives have been included in the European Union’s list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI).
In 2023, Enagás also launched a non-binding Call For Interest to identify the needs and potential demand for this energy carrier by key sectors in Spain. The company is currently analysing the results of this process, which will allow to adjust the grid proposal, modifying or adding new sections that prove necessary.
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