Petronor and SENER Formalize the Agreement for the Start-up of the First Electrolyzer Plant

(Petronor) -With an investment of 120 million euros, it is expected to come into operation in 2022 in its first phase.
-This factory, located in Bizkaia, is the first to be set up in all of Spain linked to the production of green hydrogen.

-It will have a positive impact on employment by creating 50-60 direct jobs in the first phase and 100 in the second.

-This is one of the 34 projects of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor, which will develop the technology on electrolysers.

Petronor and SENER have today formalized the agreement for the start-up of an electrolyzer plant that will be located in Bizkaia. Construction of the plant will begin in 2021 and it is expected to come online in 2022 in its first phase.

It will have an investment of 120 million euros, and will have a positive impact on employment by creating 50-60 direct jobs in the first phase and 100 in the second. To this, we should add the impact on indirect employment, thanks to the collaboration with local suppliers. Due to its industrial nature, such employment will be of quality and sustained over time as it is a long-term project.

This electrolyzer factory is one of the 34 projects of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor, BH2C, recently presented, which aims to contribute to the change of the energy and economic model to advance in the decarbonization of strategic sectors such as energy, mobility, industry and services.

The agreement was presented today by Emiliano López Atxurra, president of Petronor, and Jorge Sendagorta Cudós, CEO of SENER.

It should be noted that the electrolyzer is a key element for the generation of hydrogen, so its development and production in the Basque Country is a priority objective.

The Basque Hydrogen Corridor foresees the construction of three hydrogen production facilities that will need electrolysers. The first of them, which will be from Petronor, will come into operation at the end of 2022. This installation will have a power of 2 MW in order to supply the facilities of the Abanto Technology Park with renewable hydrogen. The second, by Petronor, EVE and Enagas, will be the installation of a 10 MW electrolyzer, which will be operational in 2024 and located in the Port of Bilbao, whose production will be destined for the synthetic fuel plant. And the third, which will be for 2025, will have an electrolyzer of up to 100 MW to tackle Petronor's decarbonization process and feed the needs of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor itself.

Emiliano López Atxurra, president of Petronor, pointed out that “today a firm step is being taken from Petronor in the commitment to clean energies and decarbonisation with the announcement of the start-up of an electrolyser factory in Bizkaia and with no one better than with SENER, a first-rate partner and with whom we are united by a relationship that goes back to Petronor's own origins ”.

Jorge Sendagorta Cudós, CEO of SENER, has indicated that “the signing of this agreement represents for the SENER Group to put our industrial and renewable energy experience at the service of society. The hydrogen roadmap from Europe sets clear priorities and requires the development of technology, something that is in our DNA ”. Jorge Sendagorta added that “we are delighted to accompany Petronor in this new journey; our ties have always been strong and we share great mutual respect ”. READ MORE