Spain approves hydrogen strategy to spur low-carbon economy

(EurActiv, 7 Oct 2020) Spain approved on Tuesday (6 October) a plan to boost clean hydrogen production, aiming to build enough infrastructure to give it a major role in Europe’s market for a fuel seen as key to meeting international carbon emissions targets.

The European Union is pushing to develop its capacity to produce hydrogen, widely used in heavy industry, from renewable power sources, currently a prohibitively expensive process.

Spain hopes its well-developed gas storage and transport system, combined with the plentiful sunshine and windy hillsides that make it a prime location for renewable energy plants, will eventually help it make enough of the fuel to export.

Madrid calculates that its hydrogen ambitions will cost €8.9 billion over the next 10 years. It expects most of this to come from the private sector but may support projects that create jobs.

By 2030, Spain aims to install 4 gigawatts-worth of the electrolysers needed to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, one tenth of the EU’s target for 40 gigawatts across the bloc, the energy and environment ministry said in a statement.

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EurActiv, 7 Oct 2020: Spain approves hydrogen strategy to spur low-carbon economy