EDP (Energias de Portugal) announced that it has produced its first green hydrogen at its new generation unit in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará, Brazil on December 15. The development of this project is an important milestone for clean energy production in the country and is part of EDP’s energy transition commitments on a global scale.

 

The production of the molecule is the first strategic step in the development of the hydrogen pilot project at the Pecém Thermoelectric Complex, whose official launch is scheduled for January 2023. Involving an investment of €7.5 million (R$42 million), this green hydrogen unit is the first in the Brazilian state and also the first of the EDP group.

 

This green hydrogen plant of EDP is a project of Research & Development of UTE Pecém that should generate clean fuel with guarantee of renewable origin, besides developing a roadmap with analyses of scalability scenarios, considering all the links of the hydrogen production chain. It also includes a solar power plant with 3 MW capacity and a latest generation electrolyzer module for producing fuel with guaranteed renewable origin, with capacity to produce 250 Nm3/h of gas.

 

The successful initiative relied on important partnerships, such as Hytron, supplier of the electrolysis, and, as executors of the project, in addition to EDP, the GESEL group (which evaluated scenarios of scalability of H2 production, identifying the economic, sectorial and market viability of the project), IATI, with the technical feasibility study, and the National Agency of Electric Energy (Aneel).

 

“We chose the Pecém complex to house our first green hydrogen plant in Brazil, because we recognise that Ceará brings together strategic characteristics to lead the process of introducing green hydrogen in the country, both for its exceptional solar and wind potential – fundamental for the production of gas – and for its location and excellent offer of infrastructure for the flow of this product in the international market,” commented João Marques da Cruz, CEO of EDP Brazil.

 

With this project, EDP Brazil becomes a pioneer in the generation of knowledge in the area of renewable hydrogen, at the center of a vast production and application chain for this fuel – because the project also aims to analyze the gas production chain, business models, strategic partnerships with industries and adaptations in mobility using hydrogen.