EDP will invest in a pilot project for the production of a green hydrogen plant in Pecém Industrial and Port Complex.
On 1 September the Governor of Ceará and executives from EDP jointly announced they will invest R$41.9 million ($8 million), with operation to start as early as December 2022.
EDP will have a solar plant of 3 MW providing renewable energy to an electrolyser from Hytron-NEA, with a production capacity of 250 Normal Cubic Metres Per Hour (Nm3/h) of the gas.
EDP already is operational in Industrial Area of Pecém Complex with a 720 megawatt (MW) power plant, and the investment in research & development can bring insights into energy transition of its own plants and help EDP become a player in green hydrogen through scaling up production.
Danilo Serpa, CEO of Pecém Complex, commented, “EDP is already our partner, as it has been operating in Pecém Complex since 2012.
“In the last five years alone, the company has handled 8.6 million tons of cargo with us. This is, therefore, a pioneering investment in Brazil and in the world, since few places on the planet currently have hydrogen (H2) plants.
“It is something revolutionary with a strong sustainable impact. Therefore, we thank EDP for believing in the state of Ceará, for believing in Pecém.”
The ‘Green Hydrogen HUB Pecém – Ceará’ project was launched in February 2021 by the Government of Ceará, Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP S/A), Federation of State Industries (Fiec) and Federal University of Ceará (UFC).
The project has attracted companies interested in operating in the green hydrogen value chain, which ranges from renewable energy generation, to production, storage, distribution and consumption of green hydrogen, including for export.