Win4H2, the network of 50 hydrogen refuelling stations that will soon be operational

The development of hydrogen vehicles is held back by the lack of infrastructure designed for refilling their tanks with this element. But this could change because, in addition to charging infrastructure for electric cars, there are initiatives that aim to start popularising hydrogen refuelling stations. This will be fundamental in the coming years and will be key for this type of vehicle to start becoming popular in our country.

The company Naturgy has just signed an agreement with Scale Gas, a subsidiary of Enagás, and Exolum. The three companies will work together to study, develop and install a network of 50 hydrogen charging points across the Iberian Peninsula. This is the Win4H2 project, which will be developed over the medium term, so in the coming years we will have more news about this initiative.

A network of 50 hydrogen charging points

The figure of 50 charging points is fairly well calculated. This means that between each of them there will be a maximum distance of 300 kilometres, enough to complete any journey without supply problems. To supply these hydrogen stations, it is planned to produce between 4,000 and 7,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year in a first phase.

Several routes with heavy traffic are being studied, both for freight and passenger transport. The first of these routes will be the one connecting Madrid with Cartagena (Murcia), via Valencia. This first hydrogen corridor will serve to establish the technology and infrastructure needed to build the entire charging point network.

At present, the network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Spain is very small, as there is no very high real demand. Hydrogen must be stored and transported at a pressure of no less than 350 bar, which makes it difficult to handle and makes it a high-risk material.

With this new infrastructure, more users will be encouraged to use this type of vehicle and, with the increase in potential customers, it will be possible to consider installing new charging points, just as has happened with charging points for electric cars.