2023-05-20 09:37:13
Aragon wants to be the protagonist of the race for him hydrogen, which in its renewable aspect represents the great commitment of the energy policy of Spain and Europe. But the autonomous community not only wants to produce it, taking advantage of its enormous capacity for renewable generation –the so-called green hydrogen–, but also aspires the exploitation of the large reserves of this sustainable and carbon-free gas that are found naturally in the subsoil of Huesca. The project to fulfill this dream and launch what would be the first well of its kind in Europehas taken its first steps and recently has the endorsement of the Aragonese Executive, which has declared the investment of regional interest, although the path for it to become a reality is littered with significant technical and legal obstacles.
The initiative is promoted by British investors, through the company Helios Aragon PTE, LTDwho have recently applied for the environmental authorization to carry out a first exploratory investigation of this energy resource in Monzón. The file is currently in the public information phase in the Aragonese Institute of Environmental Management (Inaga)as stated in the Official Bulletin of Aragon (BOA) on May 10. The goal is to carry out the first drilling in 2024 and commercially exploit the deposit for 20 years from 2028.
A 3,850 meter well
The well for hydrogen exploration will reach a maximum depth of 3,850 meters approximately, according to the environmental documentation presented by the company, which has been carried out by the Idom Consultant. The initial profile will have a diameter of between 61 and 66 centimeters and will be executed using standard machinery. The promoters stress that they will not use the controversial system of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, prohibited in Spanish and Aragonese legislation, but drilling mud, “an essential element in modern technology” to carry out prospecting.
The company raises an investment of 900 million euros to begin the extraction of these coveted materials in 2028 and thus create the first natural hydrogen center in Europe, which would generate 300 direct and “highly qualified” jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.
For these figures to be realized, the Government of Aragon has just approved the declaration of the investment of interest an autonomica project that aims to generate the first natural hydrogen and helium hub in Aragon. In the coming weeks, a conference will be held in Zaragoza for the presentation of this private initiative.
Helios Aragon plans produce 55,000 tons (55 million kilos) per year of “very competitive” hydrogen from 2028 when the production phase begins. This would mean 10% of the current market in Spain only with the first Monzón reservation. Once the underground deposit is exhausted, the promoters propose to use it to “safely” store green hydrogen at rates similar to the extracted production.
The exploitation and commercialization phase of the project is unfeasible with the current legislation Spanish climate change. He pure hydrogenwhich has never been extracted in the old continent, is classified in the eyes of Spanish legislation as a hydrocarbon (just like oil) despite the fact that it is not if one looks at its chemical composition. The exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons is prohibited since 2021 by the Law Climate Change and Energy Transition, for which the company plans to include the exploitation of natural hydrogen in the Spanish Mining Law, a step that France has just taken.
This gas is nicknamed golden hydrogen because it practically does not exist in its pure form on the planet: it is usually produced from other substances. Energy experts place it on the market at a very competitive price (0.75 euros per kilo), while green hydrogen, produced with the surplus from renewables, is between 7 and 8 euros per kilo.
Headquarters in Singapore and long energy experience
The company requested in August 2018 the appropriate authorizations to explore natural hydrogen and helium, permits that were granted in February 2020 by the Government of Aragon. The surveys and tests carried out ‘in situ’ a year ago confirmed the “high readings” of both resources in Barbastro and Monzón.
The request for the administrative authorization of the project in the regional government was presented by the lawyer from Malaga, Ramón Castilla Fernández-Fábregas, on behalf of Helios Aragón Exploration SL on February 28. The company, with registered office in Madrid and incorporated in March 2018, has as its parent company the aforementioned promoter company, domiciled at Singaporewhich has two other subsidiaries (in Poland and UK). The management team has extensive experience in the energy sector, in companies such as Shell, Exxion Mobil o BP, according to the agreement of the regional Executive by which it is declared as an investment of regional interest
Project Background
In the 1960s, the Empresa Nacional de Petróleos de Aragón SA (Ensapa) carried out systematic drilling in Spanish territory in order to locate potential oil fields. Within said campaign, the Monzón-1 survey was carried out, located approximately one kilometer southeast of the urban nucleus. The results obtained ruled out the existence of hydrocarbons, but they reflected the presence of hydrogen in two areas, although they were indirect indications since the objective of the survey was the location of oil.
It has always been considered that the existence of free hydrogen deposits on earth was limited, given its high volatility and its ability to combine with other elements. The latest research seems to refute this belief, establishing that under special conditions it seems possible to accumulation of this chemical element. In the 21st century, the presence of natural hydrogen was discovered in Mali, and various studies seem to support the possibility of its existence under particular conditions.
In this context, Helios Aragón considers the possibility of carrying out a new investigation probe with the objective of verifying the presence of hydrogen in the area near the Monzón-1 well, as well as to characterize the environment of the potential reservoir in order to know its characteristics (storage rock, reservoir seal, possible source areas). The project promoters ensure in the documentation that the technology selected for prospecting “It will not entail any action that contemplates the use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking techniques.”
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