The EDP company and the Masaveu Corporation have awarded Duro Felguera the project to convert group 2 of the Aboño thermal power plant to natural gas and hydrogen, which will provide this plant located next to the port of Gijón with a power of 494 megawatts (MW). ).
In a statement, both companies have highlighted that with this conversion the transformation of the thermal group will be a reality in July 2025, which will allow the multinational electricity company to anticipate the objective of abandoning coal production at the end of that same year.
As they have highlighted, the commitment by both companies to Duro Felguera reflects not only the technical solvency and proven experience of this company in the development of energy projects, but also its strong connection with Asturias, which has been especially considered by both partners who wanted to highlight their “strong commitment to the Principality.”
The project, which is currently in full processing, will concentrate work on the ground in 2025, when group 2 will stop to undergo a general review in the month of March. For several months, they will carry out all the work so that when the group restarts, in July, it will do so using natural gas , and later hydrogen, in addition to steel gases, a characteristic that makes the plant from its origin a unique example of circular economy .
This revaluation of steel gases prevents the emission of one million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. In the environmental field, the conversion will contribute very significantly to the improvement of air quality , since it will reduce practically 100% of emissions of particles and sulfur oxides, and 80% of nitrogen oxides. Regarding CO2 emissions, the average reduction will be 30%, varying depending on the volume of steel gases that are revalued in the plant.
The work will consist of the installation of new equipment and adaptations to the boiler, as well as the systems and infrastructure, always based on a circular economy strategy that makes it possible to take advantage of existing equipment. It will also be necessary to build a new gas pipeline to supply natural gas to the facility.
The result of the project will be a group with a power of 494 MW , similar to the current one, since it will not require powering equipment and systems associated with coal, such as mills, conveyor belts or the desulfurization plant, and it will also be more flexible, since the startups They can be done more quickly to meet demand.
The Asturian valley of green hydrogen
For its part, EDP continues working on the development of the Asturian valley of green hydrogen on the Aboño lands and, with the environmental procedure passed, the company is moving forward closing technical aspects of the project, as well as agreements with suppliers and customers. In this project and in those that EDP is developing in its thermal plants, the Masaveu Corporation has the option of joining with a 10% participation, reports Efe.