HE hydrogen it will be the real hero of decarbonization in the near future and it is advancing rapidly. Depending on its source, there are two main types of hydrogen, green, which is obtained using electricity from renewable sources, and gray, which is produced from hydrocarbons. But there is another source of obtaining this natural element: natural hydrogen, that is, accumulated deep in the Earth. Spain will have the first well in all of Europe from which such water is drawn. underground hydrogen. In this way, our country can become the main supplier of sustainable hydrogen in Europe.
Helios Aragon PTEa Spanish subsidiary of the multinational oil company British Petroleum and Axion, plans to extract natural hydrogen and helium -Two gases with a very limited presence on the Earth’s surface- Two underground reserves located near Monzón and Barbastro (Aragón). the company raises 900 million euro investment to start extracting these coveted materials by 2028 to create Europe’s first natural hydrogen hubIt will create 300 direct and high-quality jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.
However, the project encounters a major obstacle. current Spanish climate change legislation. HE pure hydrogenWhat was never mined on the old continent is classified as a hydrocarbon (just like oil) in the eyes of Spanish legislation, although it is not so when considering its chemical composition. The exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons is prohibited from 2021.Therefore, the company plans to include the exploitation of natural hydrogen in the Spanish Mining Code. A step that France has just taken.
very competitive price
This gas is called golden hydrogen, because it is practically not found on the planet in its pure form: it is often produced from other substances. Energy experts bring it to market at a very competitive price (0.75 euros per kilo), green hydrogen produced with excess renewable energy is between 7 and 8 euros per kilo.
Therefore, the discovery of its presence in the Pyrenees whetted the appetite of investors. The reserves are located on an area of approximately 90,000 hectares, including the Helios Aragón PTE company, founded five years ago in SingaporeIt has 60,200 hectares of exploration permits. Natural hydrogen was never mined in Europe or Spain because until recently it was a gas of little use, which justifies the inadequate legislation on the subject. This way, you can have a legal funnel: hydrogenit is not a hydrocarbon (hydrogen plus carbon) by basic chemical definition.
“Some surveys of Monzón-1 well in May of this year recorded 0% hydrocarbons.therefore it does not make sense for them to be covered by the same legislation,” he explains. ian munroCEO Helios Aragon in an interview with El Periódico de Aragón. This well reaches a depth of 3,500 meters from ground level. For the year 2024, it is planned to conduct a new exploration in a second well if permission is obtained.
very rare existence hydrogen ‘gold’ We should also add the small helium reserve in the Pyrenees, something that was discovered in recent research and it could mean: up to 4% of the total gas from this natural reservoir. Helium is one of the most desirable gases on the market: its price has increased 250% over the past five years, reaching values 100 times higher than natural gas. There is no such production in Spain, although 10% of the national industry is related to this gas and is used for scanners.
“traditional” techniques for extraction
Ian Munro, CEO of Helios Aragón, says hydrogen and helium will be extracted using “traditional” oil and gas production techniques. He emphasizes that extraction by hydraulic fracturing or “breaking”, which has been banned in Europe and Aragon since 2012, is not considered because it is “not necessary”. “Hydrogen and helium are light gases that don’t need help to rise.” It highlights Munro. The company conducted research in May 2022 and confirmed the high readings of hydrogen and helium discovered by a 1963 study while searching for oil in the Pyrenees. In any case, the CEO of Helios Aragón promises: the environmental impact would be “minimal” that “has nothing to do with a mine visually”. and said it will use the local economy to run the project.
The program is currently in its second phase, covering 2023 and 2024. envisages the environmental assessment of the project, the approval of the wells, the drilling of the exploration well and the confirmation of the resource scope. It is planned to invest 14 million Euros at this stage and only implement the plan if the legislation allows, will they start? Big investments that will be around 900 million euros.
According to the research of the company accessed by this newspaper, it is estimated that the Pyrenean reserve has about 500 billion cubic meters of recoverable volume (billion cubic feet, the unit of measure for large-volume natural gas). Translation: extraction project useful life will be 20 years.
Also, as hydrogen is drawn from the reserve, This place can be used as a warehouse Green hydrogen, which is produced in excess of renewable energies and whose competitiveness faces two problems: the high price and the enormous difficulty of maintaining it. In 2048, when the exploit reached its port, it was only available to him..
The Spanish industrial sector consumes 500,000 tons of hydrogen in factories and refineries, which means Hydrogen production industry worth 1,250 million euros. Its industrial uses are diverse: from the removal of impurities for crude oil in refineries to its use as a raw material for production. ammonia, methanol, fertilizers, biofuels or plastics as a heat source to replace coal in the chemical industry and metallurgical industry.
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