The prototype, with 500 kW of power and the capacity to produce more than 10 kg/h of hydrogen with an energy consumption of less than 50 kWh/kg, has been designed, manufactured and assembled entirely in Navarra. Moreover, it has been installed in a purpose-built facility within the installations that the company, in which the Government of Navarre participates through its public company, Sodena, with 15% of the capital, maintains in the Lumbier industrial estate. In the coming months, it will undergo the necessary tests to verify its correct operation, before moving on to the next phase: its industrial manufacture.
“This model is part of the business development plan proposed by Nordex Electrolyzers, which aims to have the final design of its MW-scale serial product available by 2026,” commented Luis Solla, CEO of Nordex Electrolyzers. In that sense, he insisted that one of his company’s commitments “is to manufacture high quality and efficient electrolysers, as well as its focus on sustainability and its contribution to the transition to a clean energy economy”.
Meanwhile, José Manuel Entrecanales, chairman and CEO of Acciona, defined the day as “historic”. A milestone that he compared with other achievements in Navarre since the 1990s following the creation of EHN, “the seed of today’s renewable industry”. “At that time, Acciona invested 3% of the world’s investment in renewable energy, i.e. around 1 billion euros out of a total of 30,000. Today it invests 2 billion out of 700 billion. In other words, the explosion of this sector has been historic,” he said.
Entrecanales also referred to the “personal” detail proposed by the managers of Nordex Electrolyzers of naming the first prototype designed, manufactured and assembled in Navarre after his granddaughter, Micaela: “It gives me a sense of continuity and proximity to the society in which we live and of responsibility towards future generations”. Finally, he emphasised that his company’s relations with the region “are extremely good”, and he was confident that this project “will give rise to many others”.
José Luis Blanco, CEO of Nordex Group, then said that “the transition to a decarbonised economy is one of the most urgent and far-reaching challenges of our time”. He explained, therefore, that “to achieve the ambitious goal of zero emissions by 2050, the primary means of decarbonisation is the electrification of the economy”. However, he acknowledged that “there is 20% of productive activity where electrification is very difficult, if not impossible, and for that green hydrogen is the most viable alternative”. Hence the importance, in his opinion, of the development presented on Monday in Lumbier. “This 500 kW prototype is just a testament to the advanced technology that can be achieved when vision, dedication and collaboration come together,” he concluded.
For her part, the President of Navarre, María Chivite, highlighted “the industrial milestone that this prototype represents for Navarre and for Spain, and which also fits in with the strategic priorities of the Government of Navarre”. These include “the development of renewable energies and green hydrogen, underpinning this development with innovation, talent and a sustainable growth model”. The President stressed that “Navarre has an attractive ecosystem in this field and has historically been a pioneering community in renewables”. A leadership that she wishes to “continue to promote hand in hand with companies, confident in the success of public-private collaboration”.
And the Regional Minister of Industry, Ecological Transition and Digital Business and President of Sodena, Mikel Irujo, recalled that the financial support of the aforementioned public company as a shareholder of Nordex Electrolyzers “has been the indisputable boost to make the implementation of strategic and pioneering projects for Navarre such as this one a reality, hand in hand with an industrial partner of international relevance”.
Source: Diario de Navarra