Infinity Lithium Corporation Ltd (ASX:INF)'s Spanish subsidiary Extremadura New Energies has joined a major private-public alliance SOI H2-ALEX, focused on the advancement of green hydrogen developments in the southwest Iberian Peninsula and specifically the Alentejo and Extremadura regions in Spain and Portugal.
The company is planning to integrate green hydrogen and other renewable energies as part of the industrial lithium chemical project.
Looking ahead, Extremadura will also assess the potential supply of green hydrogen from multiple sources including localised production.
“Highest standards of sustainability”
Extremadura CEO Ramón Jiménez highlighted the importance of the initiative and stressed that hydrogen will play a key role in the delivery of an environmentally and socially viable project in Cáceres.
Jiménez added: “The new project designed by Extremadura New Energies is proposing the use of green hydrogen for calcining and roasting of the lithium-bearing materials instead of natural gas.
“The use of green hydrogen facilitates the material reduction in the CO2 footprint of the battery-grade lithium chemicals to be produced on-site in Cáceres.
“This is in addition to the use of 100% renewable energy and the incorporation of electric vehicles, allowing us to an environmentally and socially viable project with the minimisation of the major emitting sources of energy.
“The carbon footprint makes this plant unique in Europe and meets the highest standards of sustainability.”
SOI H2-ALEX alliance
The SOI H2-ALEX alliance is focused on the green hydrogen pipeline project promoted in Portugal by the Agência de Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo (the Alentejo Regional Development Agency) and includes the participation of more than twenty entities and companies, including the collaboration of Junta de Extremadura.
SOI H2 is represented in Spain by the business association LOABRE and by the Extremadura electric mobility group CarEX.
Extremadura New Energies have recently executed collaborative agreements with multiple local business and community associations including LOABRE and CarEX.
H2-ALEX is also focused on facilitating projects aligned to energy transition based on the deployment of renewable energies such as solar, biomass and hydroelectric which are uniquely abundant in the region.
Forward plan
Extremadura is assessing the supply of green hydrogen from localised sources and potentially from the Iberian green hydrogen pipeline that is planned to run through the locality of Cáceres.
There is the potential to assess the localised supply of renewable energy through a photovoltaic installation and the generation of green hydrogen in Cáceres in direct alignment with the project.
Furthermore, Extremadura is examining potential industrial locations in the locality of Cáceres for these renewable energy installations that would be directly aligned to the energy requirements of the project.