The solution for supplying hydrogen consisted of transporting it from Iberdrola’s hydrogen plant in operation in Barcelona’s Zona Franca – the first to be commissioned in Spain for commercial use – to Zaragoza, and the installation of a dispensing solution that allowed the train’s tanks to be loaded “with the greatest guarantees of operability and safety,” Iberdrola noted.
According to the firm, this is the first time that green hydrogen has been refilled in a semi-trailer for distribution in a commercial hydrogen station of these characteristics.
These tests reaffirm the commitment of Iberdrola and CAF, which have formed an alliance to promote the use of green hydrogen in the railway sector and in passenger transport. Both companies are working toward offering comprehensive sustainable mobility solutions, ranging from the supply of rolling stock and refueling infrastructure to green hydrogen production plants and renewable energy infrastructures.
In August, CAF announced that it had begun the dynamic track testing program for the hydrogen-powered demonstrator train being developed for the FCH2RAIL project. FCH2Rail is being developed by a consortium of companies, including CAF, Iberdrola, DLR, Toyota, Renfe, ADIF, CNH2, IP and Stemmann-Technik.
The demonstrator train being tested is based on one of Renfe’s commuter trains, in which a new power generation system has been installed. This system, which utilizes a hybridization of energy from hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, has been integrated into the vehicle’s existing traction system.
Iberdrola’s first supply of green hydrogen to CAF confirms its interest in driving the development chain in the region, as the company plans to supply green hydrogen to CAF for this project and others to be developed by other companies from the future hydrogen plant of the Green Mobility PLAZA project, in a region that is a pioneer in research thanks to the work of the Aragon Hydrogen Foundation.
Iberdrola is leading this project, which envisages the construction of a hydrogen plant at the PLAZA Logistics Platform in Zaragoza that will enable the production and supply of green hydrogen to road and rail transport and thus move toward increasingly sustainable mobility. The project, which continues to make progress in its search for European subsidies and is working on the consolidation of demand, already has land at an advanced stage of negotiation within PLAZA.
In addition, the hydrogen project is accompanied by an ultra-fast recharging station with 180 kW chargers that will allow two heavy electric vehicles or four light electric vehicles to be recharged which, due to the strategic location and the power considered, will be essential to promote the electrification of transport on the A-2 axis and will contribute to the decarbonization of the Plaza Logistics Platform.