(Zaragossa / Spain) – The Spanish rail vehicle manufacturer CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) has received its first delivery of green hydrogen from the Spanish energy group Iberdrola SA. The energy source comes from the Iberdrolas hydrogen plant, which went into operation in early 2022, in the Zona Franca in Barcelona on the southeast coast of the country. The transport served as a final test to supply a hydrogen-powered demonstration train in Zaragoza, a good three hours' drive away. A dispensing system was installed for refueling. This means that the FCH2Rail project has been “successfully completed,” according to the companies.
As part of the Green Mobility PLAZA project, a hydrogen plant and a filling station for road and rail vehicles are to be built in Zaragoza. A 180-kilowatt fast-charging station for electric vehicles is also planned. Negotiations are currently underway for suitable properties.
In addition to the facility in Barcelona that went into operation in January, Iberdrola had in May Puertollano (Ciudad Real) has already inaugurated the largest plant for the production of green hydrogen for industrial purposes in Europe. The 20 megawatt electrolyzer with an annual capacity of 3.000 tons is supplied with electricity from a 100 megawatt solar power plant. The customer includes an ammonia factory owned by Spain's largest fertilizer manufacturer Fertiberia, which is reducing its purchase of natural gas by ten percent.
Iberdrola and CAF announced a partnership to promote the use of green hydrogen in the railway sector in February this year. goal of Allianz is to find environmentally friendly solutions for lines operated by diesel locomotives without installing overhead lines on the routes or making other major structural changes.
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Fuel station for CAF test train with hydrogen drive in Zaragoza. © Iberdrola SA
Excellent. This is how the energy transition is progressing