The CEO of Fertiberia, Javier Goñi, launched this Thursday at the Green Hydrogen Congress that is being held in Huelva, the company’s objective of being a leader in Europe in the production of clean ammonia with a capacity of 2.5 million tons year.
In this objective, Goñi highlighted the sum of the projects that he has contemplated in Andalusia, such as the transformation of the Palos de la Frontera plant, in which the Huelva province is positioned as an essential part since the synergy it generates with the Port of Huelva will allow it to connect the region with large consumption centers.
The CEO of Fertiberia explained to the companies and specialized professionals who are meeting these days in the Huelva capital how the process has been that is leading them not only to accelerate their own decarbonization by generating clean fertilizers but also helping the companies that are their clients to advance this objective by ensuring that part of the production process does not generate a carbon footprint. The new green hydrogen technology has made this change possible.
The conversion of green hydrogen into ammonia allows its use in agriculture, industry and transportation , which is why hundreds of initiatives are emerging around the world associated with this energy vector,” Goñi recalled. And in this context Andalusia has an advantage since “on the one hand there is the capacity of Fertiberia, which has more than five decades in the production, logistics and transformation of ammonia; and there are the synergies generated with the Port of Huelva , a first-level logistics center, with experience in the management of chemical products and fuels, and with the capacity to efficiently deliver production to all large consumption centers.”
Fertiberia currently has 14 production centers in Spain, Portugal and France, more than 1,700 employees, a logistics network with assets also in Greece, Sweden and the Netherlands that reaches more than 1,000 customers in 80 countries and a portfolio of products of high added value that exceeds 520 references. In addition, it is the first company in its sector that has committed to reducing its emissions to zero with the Net Zero strategy.
In Palos de la Frontera there is the largest ammonia production plant in Spain , with a total capacity of 400,000 tons per year. The company’s objective is to replace 100% of the natural gas used for the production of this ammonia with green hydrogen and other compounds of renewable origin, in turn increasing the capacity of these facilities. “
This change is developed with a new business culture. “ In the case of our alliance with Cepsa, for example, the Cepsa La Rábida Energy Park and our facilities in Palos – which occupy adjacent spaces – have carried out an analysis of all the industrial and operational synergies that currently exist between both complexes, with the joint objective of maximizing the degree of efficiency in their management.”
This cluster vision is, in turn, “an opportunity for growth for the entire park of suppliers that surround our industries in the province of Huelva and for the attraction of new companies and highly qualified professionals .” Hence initiatives such as “ the Green Hydrogen Congress are important to continue encouraging this necessary spirit of cooperation.
“ Where we import gray ammonia with fossil fuels, we are changing to our own production of green hydrogen with projects that we are developing with other partners,” said Goñi, who advanced that “previously the competitive places were those that had fossil fuels and now they are going to be in geographical areas that have access to renewables, such as the province of Huelva.”
“We can support green hydrogen projects, with guaranteed purchase volumes and, in addition, we contribute our knowledge in nitrogen. We have the capacity to carry out the energy transition,” concluded the CEO of Fertiberia.