Basque Country

Petronor

Petronor complex

Within the deployment of Repsol's strategy to lead the energy transition and reduce carbon emissions is the 100-MW capacity Hydrogen project, at the Petronor Complex in the Muskiz industrial area in the Basque Country.

The facility will be designed to produce 1.7 tonnes of renewable H2 per hour, generating renewable hydrogen and oxygen for local consumers and will prevent up to 167,000 tonnes of CO2 being released per year. As a result, the project stands to be a significant contributor to the widespread adoption of renewable hydrogen, with an important impact at an environmental, economic, and social level.

Operators at Petronor complex

Objectives

The objectives of this project are:

  • Contribute to achieving the national renewable H2 generation objective of 12 GW electrolyzer power according to the PNIEC 2023-2030 (updated in Sep. 2024).
  • Reduction of CO2 emissions associated with the generation of conventional H2 (gray/fossil) by steam reforming of hydrocarbons.
  • Reduce consumption and, therefore, importation of fossil natural gas, reducing energy defendence outside Spain. 
Petronor complex

The hydrogen produced in the project will be mainly used for consumption in the Bilbao refinery as a raw material in replacement of part of the conventional hydrogen currently generated, and will also transform the sector by reducing dependence on fossils and will contribute to the creation of a new market, activating a virtuous circle of supply and demand growth, which thanks to production scaling, will allow the reduction of costs that will make the use possible in other final uses as well as industrial.

The Petronor project not only represents a significant advancement in the production of renewable hydrogen in Spain, but has also been recognized as an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). This recognition highlights the relevance of the project for the innovation and competitiveness of European industry, as well as its contribution to the climate and energy goals of the European Union.

The project is found in the Basque Hydrogen Corridor (BH2C), a strategic initiative that seeks to position the Basque Country as a reference in the production, distribution, and use of renewable hydrogen. BH2C is a collaboration between various public and private organizations, including companies, research centers, and local administrations, with the aim of driving the energy transition and decarbonization of the economy.

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Funded by the European Union. The points of view and opinions expressed are the exclusive responsibility of the author or authors and don't necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be considered responsible for them.