Repsol approves 150-MW electrolyzer for Tarragona refinery

By Elena Vasquez

At Repsol SA’s 190,000-b/d Tarragona integrated refining and petrochemicals complex on northeastern Spain’s Costa Daurada, the board has approved a 150-MW renewable-hydrogen electrolyzer requiring about €400 million.

The board-approved project has entered engineering and is designed to produce more than 22,000 tonnes/year (tpy) of renewable hydrogen for the Mediterranean site. Repsol will operate the facility; Enagás Renovable SA will hold a 25% stake, with Repsol retaining 75%.

What is Repsol building at Tarragona?

The electrolyzer is designed to fit into an operating industrial system: hydrogen will support Tarragona’s refining and other production processes, feed chemical production, and provide a feedstock for renewable methanol made at the co-located Ecoplanta operations.

In its Nov. 12 release, Repsol said the electrolyzer “will use recovered industrial water” and include technology “designed to maximize energy efficiency of the production process.” The company said the work fits its broader strategy to reduce environmental impacts across its global operations.

Repsol estimates the project will generate about 1,000 direct, indirect and future associated jobs across development and operation, primarily in the Tarragona area. Its startup is tentatively scheduled for 2028-29.

The plant has moved into engineering, but its 2028-29 startup date is still not final.

Where will the hydrogen go?

Repsol confirmed the hydrogen would be “used to support Tarragona’s refining and production processes, as well as for production of chemical products.” Some output would also serve as feedstock for renewable methanol at Ecoplanta.

By 2029, Ecoplanta is set to process up to 400,000 tpy of municipal solid waste into 240,000 tpy of renewable fuels and other circular products. That conversion gives the electrolyzer an internal methanol-related use alongside refinery and chemicals demand.

Once operable, Repsol estimates the renewable-hydrogen plant could help Tarragona avoid up to 250,000 tpy of carbon dioxide emissions. The estimate depends on operation of the new unit.

The company also identifies the local natural-gas network and Spain’s planned Hydrogen Backbone network as possible future outlets. Repsol has not presented either supply relationship as committed.

The core use is at Tarragona; broader gas-network supply remains an option, not a committed arrangement.

What public support is attached?

The project has been selected to receive up to €104 million under Spain’s regional Hydrogen Valley initiative, a public-private effort to develop a local hydrogen ecosystem. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge promotes the initiative.

The grant is funded through Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan with NextGenerationEU funds. The selected award adds a public funding component to the approved project.

Once online, the plant is to join the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia and the Ebro Hydrogen Corridor. Repsol describes the two ecosystems as mechanisms to advance a hydrogen economy in southern Europe.

The award adds public backing, but the 2028-29 operating date remains tentative.

Where does Tarragona fit Repsol’s hydrogen portfolio?

The Tarragona project is Repsol’s third large-scale renewable-hydrogen project in Spain. It follows a previously announced project at the company’s 220,000-b/d Cartagena refinery in Murcia province in southeastern Spain.

The other is at subsidiary Petróleos del Norte SA’s (Petronor) 220,000-b/d refinery and industrial complex in Múskiz, near Bilbao, in Biscay province in Spain’s northern Basque Country.

Tarragona therefore extends Repsol’s Spanish hydrogen program to three refinery and industrial locations.

What should readers watch?

The immediate watch item is confirmation of the tentative 2028-29 startup as engineering advances; any connection to the local gas grid or Spain’s planned Hydrogen Backbone remains potential rather than committed.