Three Andalusian projects have been selected in the call for Line 3 of the H2 Value Chain Program resolved by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), so they will receive a total of 45 million, at a rate of 15 million per initiative, for the development of innovative projects of large electrolysers for the production of renewable hydrogen.
Managed by the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE), a subsidiary body of MITECO, the programme has awarded nationwide grants of 100 million euros – in amounts of 10 and 15 million – to 7 projects in 5 autonomous communities: Andalusia (3), Valencia, Asturias, Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha. The final resolution is available here.
Of these 100 million euros, 60 million euros have been allocated to initiatives in areas of Just Transition and Demographic Challenge, such as the environments of the old thermal power plants of Carboneras (Almería), Meirama (A Coruña), or the thermoelectric complex of Aboño (Asturias), among others.
The program is included in the Strategic Project for the Reconstruction and Economic Transformation of Renewable Energy, Renewable Hydrogen and Storage (PERTE ERHA) and seeks to promote both the development of electrolysis demonstrators and real integration initiatives of large capacity electrolysers in industrial environments.
In the resolution of the call for proposals, factors such as emissions reduction, job creation and gender equality have been weighed. Selected projects are required to respect the guiding principle of “not causing significant harm to the environment”.
MITECO is making progress in promoting the production and use of this energy vector, both in projects with commercial viability and their integration in sectors of difficult decarbonization such as industry and heavy mobility, and in industrial research and the development of innovative solutions in experimental environments.
Line 4 of the H2 Value Chain program will soon be closed, with 40 million to promote basic research, and the second call for H2 Pioneers has just been launched, with 150 million for innovative and integrated initiatives for local production and consumption of renewable hydrogen.
H2 RENEWABLE: A COUNTRY PROJECT
The grants regulated by these calls are part of Component 9 ‘Road map of renewable hydrogen and its sectoral integration’ of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) and, in particular, in its Investment 1: ‘Renewable hydrogen: a country project’. These are calls with a leading role within the PERTE ERHA, a complete program of instruments and measures to develop technology, knowledge, industrial capabilities and new business models that strengthen the position of Spain’s leadership in the field of clean energy.
The PERTE ERHA will mobilize an investment of more than 16.3 billion, between contributions from the Recovery Plan and private funds. In general, financial support will be granted through competitive bids to select the best projects.
In addition, the deployment of this aid mechanism advances the achievement of the objectives of the Hydrogen Roadmap, a strategic document to promote renewable hydrogen. Among other objectives, it aims to achieve an electrolysis power of 300 MW to 600 MW in 2024 and 4 GW in 2030, 10% of the Community objective, which demonstrates the ambition of our country to be a fundamental actor within the European context.