Green heat generation hub at the Chemical Industrial Park of Tarragona

ongoing

The project aims to demonstrate that renewable energy sources can replace fossil fuels in industrial heat by electrifying production. The project’s solution is a combination of renewable energy, thermal energy storage (TES), an electrode boiler and high-temperature heat pumps (HTHP), which will enhance the use of green heat in the Chemical Industrial Park of Tarragona (Spain). The project will lead to a relative greenhouse gas emissions avoidance of 100% by energy-intensive industries in this park (off-takers belonging to the chemical sector), which currently uses natural gas boilers, thus completely avoiding the GHG emissions relative to the reference scenario. GRHENA’s core innovation is the electrification of the heat production process thanks to the integration of solutions in the field of heat production and storage: i) innovative TES systems (molten salts & crushed rocks) integrating electrical heaters, which store heat at the same time they produce steam; ii) a HTHP, which notably increases the plant’s overall energy efficiency; and iii) an electrode boiler, for system back up and demand peak support. These systems will be 100% powered by renewable energy. They will work together in a coordinated cycle to produce around 650 GWht/y (>490 000 tonnes of steam per year), only using electricity and local water, thus saving 1 454 829 tCO2e over 10 years of operation. These emissions would be equivalent to those generated by around 40,000 medium-sized households during the same period. GRHENA will support the transition to a green and resilient economy by decarbonising industrial heat production through the large-scale application of net-zero technologies. This sector remains one of the most difficult to decarbonise because of its high demand (energy for heating and cooling represents almost 50% of the EU’s total gross final energy consumption). GRHENA’s solution will directly replace fossil fuels and increase the energy efficiency of thermal heat generation (104% against 85-90% with natural gas boilers). It will allow the uncoupling of steam demand and power consumption by absorbing excess power from renewables or taking advantage of off-peak periods while operating safely and efficiently in a normal industrial environment at a competitive price. The project presents a new solution for local renewable heat production, which will contribute to energy efficiency improvements in process industries and promote and develop increased local capacity at industrial sites in Europe. It will also attract major investment in the growing renewable heat sector, contributing to its value chain with local manufacturing of technological systems and creating more than 200 new full-time green jobs. GRHENA’s implementation in Tarragona will be the first milestone in an ambitious plan to scale and replicate the concept at regional, national and European levels.