EDP Portugal, which is majority owned by China Three Gorges, is gearing up to develop renewable hydrogen production in Portugal and Spain with Spanish energy group Repsol.
The memorandum of understanding – signed this week by the CEOs of the two companies, Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade and Josu Jon Imaz, at the Spanish embassy in Lisbon – marks the start of broader talks between the two companies in order to firm up projects in the renewable energy sector.
Three potential projects are already under evaluation: one in Portugal and two in Spain. The first one aims to explore renewable hydrogen production in Sines, taking advantage of Repsol’s operations in the Portuguese coastal city, as a potential user of renewable gas, and EDP’s role as an energy supplier.
In Spain, two projects have been identified. The Aboño project, led by EDP, aims to create the ‘Hydrogen Valley’ of Asturias, one of the axes of the energy transition plan for this province. Repsol leads the project for a large-scale electrolyser, part of the ‘Basque Hydrogen Corridor’ project.
Repsol has also just signed a major investment deal with the Portuguese government to build two new polymer plants at its Sines refinery industrial complex.
Last May, EDP stepped back from its participation in H2Sines, a group of companies that aimed to invest EUR 1.5 billion in a hydrogen production complex in Sines.
In July, EDP, TechnipFMC and other research partners announced a deal to develop a conceptual engineering and economic feasibility study for a new offshore system for green hydrogen production from offshore wind power, called the BEHYOND project.
The study will include innovative integration of equipment for the production and conditioning of green hydrogen and infrastructure that allows for its transportation to the coast.
The goal is to create a unique concept that can be standardised and implemented worldwide, allowing for large-scale hydrogen production.
Josu Jon Imaz, CEO of Repsol, said, “The synergies and the will to create value in the production and commercialisation of renewable hydrogen will help to develop an emerging market that still has technological and regulatory challenges.”
Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, CEO of EDP, commented, “This partnership represents a great opportunity to promote decisive projects in the area of renewable hydrogen in Iberia.”
