A collection of some of Portugal's largest companies have come together to announce the €100 million Nazare Green Hydrogen Valley (NGHV) in the country's Marinha Grande region.
São Pedro de Moel is located in the Marinha Grande region of Portugal, the location of the Nazaré Green Hydrogen Valley. Credit: odecam / Shutterstock
The consortium, led by Rega Energy and including cement companies Cimpor and Secil, among others, represents nearly 10% of the country's emissions and offers a significant breakthrough in its attempts to tackle the climate crisis and implement net-zero goals.
Read more: Green hydrogen now cheaper to produce than grey - ICIS report
This partnership brings together companies across some hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as "cement, waste, glass, fertilizers and ceramics" and could "revolutionise the way Portuguese industry approaches decarbonization through mature and scalable technology", according to a statement issued by the group.
By utilising renewable energy sources such as solar energy and green hydrogen and blending them with aspects from the circular economy such as recycling wastewater, the NGHV hopes to make a dent in worldwide emissions.
In total, 13 companies form the coalition.
"Green hydrogen" refers to hydrogen generated from renewable energy. It is separate from other forms, such as "black hydrogen", which is generated through fossil fuel use and "pink hydrogen", which is generated through nuclear energy.
It will include a dedicated energy grid, integrated solar power for electricity generation that will feed the green hydrogen production facility. Intial installed capacity is expected to be around 40MW, with the potential to reach 600MW.
By 2025, the project could employ some 1,700 people, the NGHV claims.
The project will start in the Marinha Grande region, scaling into other parts of the Leiria District and into Coimbra, the consortium added.
Portugal is aiming to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050 in line with general European goals, with an initial goal of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030.
The country has seen other green hydrogen projects, although this is the first on this scale. The country is also breaking ground by becoming the fourth EU country to quit coal, closing its final plant in November. Environmentally-focused political parties have also proposed a total ban on fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.
“With its vast renewable resources, exporting premium products, and recruiting new low-carbon companies, Portugal has the potential to become one of Europe’s low-carbon industry powerhouses,” said Rega Energy CEO Thomass Carrier.
He believes that sobriety, recycling, efficiency and electrification alone are not enough to aid in some heavy industries' decarbonisation, which is where projects such as the NGHV "come into play".
“We see the Nazaré Green Hydrogen Valley initiative as the first step toward decarbonizing Portugal’s industry, and we look forward to expanding the concept across the country", he added.
The plan could ultimately aid in many, if not all, of the major players significantly lowering their emissions, and potentially becoming net-zero by 2050.
The statement put out by the consortium also hinted that excess hydrogen produced could be used to feed other industries, through the infrastructure of natural gas supplier GGND, which is also part of the project.
Read more: Green hydrogen could use existing gas pipelines
The hydrogen for the project will be generated through electrolysis and solar will be used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Construction and implementation of infrastructure is set to commence in 2023, with operations planned for 2025, pending public financial support.
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