Masdar and German outfit Verbund Green Hydrogen have signed a deal to explore developing a green hydrogen plant in central Spain.
The development will harness the abundant renewable resources of Castilla-La Mancha region to generate green hydrogen to cover industrial demand in Spain and central Europe.
Expected to be operational by the end of the decade, the planned plant will serve the industrial sector and has the potential to help decarbonize heavy transportation in Spain as well as in central Europe.
The agreement was signed by Mohammad Abdelqader El Ramahi, Masdar’s Chief Green Hydrogen Officer and Hamead Ahrary, Managing Director of Verbund Green Hydrogen during COP28 in Expo City Dubai.
It cements an earlier pact, signed between the companies during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2023, to explore green hydrogen opportunities to cover European demand.
It is intended that the explored plant will produce the fuel using renewable energy generated by solar power plants, potentially including Masdar’s planned gigawatt-scale solar plant in Castilla-La Mancha and wind farms.
Masdar’s chief green hydrogen officer Mohammad Abdelqader El Ramahi said: “Masdar is delighted to be moving forward on this milestone project with our strategic partner, Verbund Green Hydrogen.
“As one of Europe’s largest planned green hydrogen production plants, the project aims to produce green hydrogen to help decarbonise the continent’s hard-to-abate industries while creating jobs and tapping into the region’s enormous solar and wind potential.
“Our successful collaboration on this project paves the way for further development of green hydrogen and a vital pipeline linking centres of production with end-use markets.
“At COP28, as the world looks for ways to accelerate the journey to net zero, partnerships such as this serve as a powerful example of what can be achieved if we work together with purpose and at pace.”