Repsol has given the green light to its first large-scale electrolyser, with a capacity of 100 MW, at its industrial complex in Cartagena. The facility, involving an investment of €300 million, will be capable of generating up to 15,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually, and will prevent the emission of up to 167,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The company will use the renewable hydrogen as a feedstock to manufacture essential products with a lower carbon footprint, marking a significant step in its roadmap to substitute conventional hydrogen with renewable hydrogen in its industrial centres.
The project has been recognised by the European Commission and the Government of Spain as strategic and of European common interest (IPCEI) and will receive €155 million through the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE).
Due to its scale, the development of this electrolyser represents a technological challenge led by Repsol, in collaboration with Enagás Renovable, which holds a 25% stake in the project. The investment is expected to generate about 900 jobs—direct, indirect, and induced—across the different phases of the project.
The plant is scheduled to be operational in 2029, representing a milestone for the Hydrogen Valley of the Region of Murcia.
The project includes the possibility that, in the future, the renewable hydrogen could also be incorporated into the natural gas network and the Spanish Hydrogen Backbone Network. Repsol is the largest producer and consumer of hydrogen on the peninsula, accounting for 60% of national production and contributing 4% of the hydrogen consumed in Europe. Currently, it can generate about 360,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year at its industrial complexes.
For its part, Enagás Renovable acts as an independent energy producer specializing in renewable gases and decarbonisation initiatives. Its current portfolio in Spain comprises 20 projects under development, focused on renewable hydrogen and biomethane.
