The Environment and Mobility Delegate Borja Carabante visited the Operations Center of the Municipal Transport Company (EMT) in Entrevías, where works are being carried out for the installation of the first hydrogen service station in the city of Madrid. The current works, which are being undertaken on an area of 42,000 m², will be completed by the end of 2023.
The new facility will cover the entire hydrogen cycle: production, storage and distribution of green hydrogen in a totally innovative comprehensive engineering commitment that has an investment of 10.86 million euros co-financed by the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF). Ten buses powered by green hydrogen, the first in the municipal fleet, will be supplied with this alternative energy in the first months of 2024.
With this initiative, Madrid will have the first hydrogen production plant from a water electrolysis process developed entirely by Spanish companies, and whose design, construction and subsequent management is the responsibility of the EMT. The hydrogen obtained will be compressed and stored so that it can refuel the 10 buses (with the possibility of expanding the capacity to 20 vehicles) that are being manufactured by Portuguese company CaetanoBus and that will arrive in Madrid this year.
The filling station consists of three nationally manufactured components: an electrolyzer capable of producing about 18 kg of hydrogen per hour, two compressors and three medium and high pressure storage tanks. The filling pressure of the hydrogen tanks is 350 bars, 75% more than the pressure of the CNG compressors. These works, which have an investment of 2.65 million euros from FEDER funds, will end at the end of 2023 so that the facilities will be operational in the first months of 2024.
In order to inject enough energy to the hydrogen station, the project includes the installation of a total of 2,780 photovoltaic panels distributed in three breakwaters. The photovoltaic roof will generate a maximum power of 1.6 Mwh, 550 kW for each panel.
Tresca Ingeniería is the firm tendered for the development of the preliminary project, in addition to carrying out advisory and facultative management tasks. For its part, the drafting and execution of the project have been awarded to the joint venture formed by SERVEO, SIEC and SUMELZO, S.A.
Source: Madrid City Council
