Enagás Renovable, a company owned by Enagás (60%), Hy24 (30%), Pontegadea (5%) and Navantia (5%); Alter Enersun, a company owned by the industrial group Christian Lay; and Extremadura New Energies, have constituted the company Extremadura Energy H2 Hub, a company with a social and fiscal headquarters in Cáceres and that will focus on the
The company is 50% owned by Enalter (consisting of Alter Enersun and Enagás Renovable) and Extremadura New Energies (through Tecnología Extremeña del Litio), and the presidency of it corresponds to Enalter.
The first two projects already approved, without prejudice to the fact that more will be added in the future, will be developed in Cáceres, and are a renewable hydrogen production plant with a maximum capacity of up to 180 MW and a photovoltaic solar park of up to 350 MW. Both initiatives can be developed as they are associated with the commissioning of a lithium hydroxide processing plant in this locality. Likewise, it is estimated that 600 jobs will be created in the construction phase and more than 50 long-term jobs.
In a first phase of development, studies will be carried out to design, evaluate and determine the technical-economic viability of the project, while the most viable sites in the municipality of Cáceres and its neighboring municipalities will be identified and evaluated. Subsequently, the request for administrative processing of the project will be made to start construction from 2025.
In a second phase, the photovoltaic solar production and hydrogen production plants will be put into operation, which will come into operation from 2026 and will have an initial useful life of more than 25 years.
Decarbonization and local development
The integral development of this project will contribute to advancing the decarbonization of industrial processes and the development of sustainable lithium mining, given that the renewable energy produced will be supplied to the processing plant of this mineral projected by Extremadura New Energies.
The project is aligned with the decarbonization objectives of the European Union, the RePowerEU plan, and the renewable hydrogen roadmap of Spain. Likewise, this project represents a new opportunity to generate social and economic development in Extremadura through the generation of quality employment and the promotion of the industrial fabric in conjunction with the commitment to the energy transition.
The main activity of Extremadura New Energies, a company also with its registered office and tax office in Cáceres, consists of the development in this locality of an integrated industrial project for the production of lithium hydroxide. It is a unique plant in Europe that will contribute to the strategic autonomy of Spain and the European Union as a whole.
For its part, Enalter aims to promote, build, operate and maintain green hydrogen plants and renewable electricity generation facilities to decarbonize industrial activity and reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases.
The CEO of Extremadura New Energies, Ramón Jiménez, stressed that "the participation of two companies of the trajectory and prestige of Enagás Renovable -participated by Enagás (technical manager of the gas system in Spain) - and Alter Enersun - one of the main promoters of renewable energies in Spain (participated by the first business group of Extremadura Grupo Industrial CL - rat Jiménez recalled that "this Cáceres plant will be the final consumer of electricity and hydrogen generated with the renewable energy plants of Extremadura Energy H2 Hub, which also consolidates the commitment of that project to the highest standards of environmental sustainability."
José Luis Morlanes, CEO of Alter Enersun, explained that "we joined the project of the lithium processing factory to contribute to decarbonizing the activity through the use of green hydrogen and renewable energies.""That plant will be a reference for sustainability in Europe and will create wealth and quality employment in Extremadura," he added.
Antón Martínez, CEO of Enagás Renovable, has indicated that "collaboration between companies is essential to efficiently channel and maximize investment capacity and successfully develop a hydrogen ecosystem linked to renewable energies. The constitution of Extremadura Energy H2 Hub reinforces the commitment of Enagás Renovable to the promotion of renewable gases, decarbonization and the energy transition."
Green hydrogen, an ally to decarbonize the industry
Green hydrogen is a key sustainable solution for the decarbonization of the economy, and is part of the solution to achieve climate neutrality in 2050 set in the European Green Park.
Green hydrogen is called to be a valuable energy vector for end uses where it is the most efficient solution in the process of its decarbonization, such as hydrogen-intensive industry and high-temperature processes, heavy long-distance transport, maritime transport, rail transport or aviation. In addition, its quality as an energy vector gives it great potential as an instrument for energy storage and sectoral integration.
Green hydrogen is obtained mainly by electrolysis of water, which consists of separating hydrogen from the oxygen in the water through renewable electricity. The most decisive thing is that this process is fed entirely by renewable energy, so it does not generate any type of polluting emission into the atmosphere and is the cleanest and most sustainable hydrogen.
About Renewable Enagás
Enagás Renovable has a portfolio of more than 30 specific projects in Spain in the field of renewable gases and decarbonization, which represents one of the largest European platforms for renewable gas projects.
The company's shareholding structure is composed of Enagás (60%), Hy24 - a joint venture formed by Ardian and FiveT Hydrogen - (30%), Pontegadea (5%) and Navantia -SEPI - (5%).
Enagás Renovable already has several pioneering projects in the field of renewable gases that are in line with the Hydrogen and Biogas Roadmaps for Spain and the decarbonization objectives of the European Union. Among them is the commissioning of the first green hydrogen industrial plant in Spain, located in Lloseta (Mallorca), and the commissioning of the "UNUE" biomethane production plant, in Burgos, the latter being the first large-scale biomethane project carried out in Spain by a private initiative.
About Alter Enersun
The Alter Enersun Group, a leading company in the renewable energy sector, stands out for its 12 years of experience in the development of its own photovoltaic installations for the sale of energy. The company covers the entire value chain: the development of solar parks, their design, promotion and installation, operation, operation and maintenance and also the acquisition of projects.
Alter Enersun, a company that has more than 150 photovoltaic installations on roofs and floors in Spain, Portugal and Mexico, is an integrated energy group present throughout the value chain of renewable energy from development to commercialization, especially focused on large self-consumption and hydrogen projects.
About Extremadura New Energies
Extremadura New Energies is a company with a social and tax headquarters in Cáceres. This company, a subsidiary of the Australian Infinity Lithium, promotes an integrated industrial lithium processing project in the city of Cáceres that will involve an investment of more than 600 million euros and the creation of 700 long-term direct jobs (in addition to another 1,500 during the two years of the construction phase). This project, aligned with the strategic lines of the European Commission for the coming years, will produce lithium hydroxide in battery grade sufficient to manufacture 500,000 100% electric vehicles each year.
