More than 360 projects promote the development of renewable hydrogen in Spain, according to the update of the interactive map of the 2024 Census of Projects of the Spanish Hydrogen Association (AeH2), which was presented this Friday and which includes to date 361 projects throughout the hydrogen value chain with a technological maturity level (TRL) 3 or higher, in which 83 AeH2 members participate.
Specifically, of this figure, 80 are research projects (TRL 3-4), 55 demonstrators in a relevant environment (TRL 5-6), 50 demonstrators in a real environment (TRL 7-8) and 167 commercial projects.
Thus, as highlighted by the organization, among the main novelties of this update highlights the inclusion of research projects at initial levels of technological maturity (TRL 3-4) and demonstrators in relevant environments (TRL 5-6), which reflect the “great capacity for technological development and the high research potential that Spain has in these strategic technologies.”
Estimated budget of 36,370 million
Furthermore, the total estimated budget exceeds that recorded the previous year and amounts to 36,370 million euros, of which approximately 2,650 million come from public financing.
In this sense, the AeH2 has indicated that the distribution between private investment and Public financing varies significantly depending on the TRL range of the projects, since research projects depend mainly on public support, while commercial projects combine private capital and public aid, although they also face challenges in their initial development due to financing barriers and the need to ensure demand.
Even so, for the year 2030, the estimated installed electrolysis capacity based on registered commercial projects is 13.6 gigawatts (GW), a figure aligned with the update of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2021- 2030, which establishes a target of 12 GW. However, if the 167 commercial projects, presented by 42 AeH2 partners, are carried out successfully, The total installed electrolysis capacity could reach 23 GW, with an estimated annual production of 2.9 million tons of hydrogen.
However, given that some projects have not yet defined start-up dates, it is not possible to ensure that this capacity will be achieved in 2030 and will be subject to the progress of those projects that are in preliminary stages of development.
The president of the Spanish Hydrogen Association, Javier Brey, has indicated that “Thanks to the data provided by the partners, the Census is configured as an essential tool to know in detail the state of the hydrogen sector in Spain and their future prospects through statistics, trends and total data.
“This update highlights not only the high interest in developing commercial projects, but also the great capacity for technological development and the high research potential that we have in Spain in hydrogen technologies,” said Brey, and then recalled that in order to achieve the maximum potential of hydrogen in Spain and achieve the objectives set in the PNIEC 2030 “We must continue working on the key challenges that have been identified in the Census, promoting public-private collaboration to implement the suggestions for improvement requested by the sector.”
The 2024 Project Census also identifies the main barriers that hinder the development of the hydrogen sector in Spain, among which are the lack of a consolidated demand for renewable hydrogen (‘offtakers’), limited access to public financing and the absence of a clear regulatory framework.
Given this situation, The promoters have made suggestions for improvement and expressed the need to accelerate the implementation of key regulatory frameworks, such as the transposition of the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), as well as promote direct financial incentives and tax exemptions that stimulate the consumption of renewable hydrogen.
In addition, measures have been proposed such as simplifying and increasing the amount of aid, and strengthening public-private collaboration to guarantee comprehensive development of the sector.
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