● DECARBONIZATION. The group will reduce emissions in all its hotels in Mallorca through the consumption of renewable hydrogen, which will be produced at the Lloseta hydrogen plant in Mallorca.
● GreenH2Chain®. ACCIONA Energía will ensure the renewable origin of the hydrogen through its pioneering platform with blockchain technology.
● INNOVATION. The agreement is part of the Balearic Government's strategy for sustainable tourism and is financed by the EU through the Green Hysland innovation project.
Iberostar Group, ACCIONA Energía and Enagás have signed an agreement under which the hotel group, a leading international company in responsible tourism, will become the first consumer of renewable hydrogen in the Spanish tourism sector. The agreement contemplates the supply of green hydrogen to Iberostar Group hotels in Mallorca, reducing between 2% and 5% the consumption of natural gas in the company’s hotels. This new agreement is a milestone in the hotel chain's strategy to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
From left to right: Marcelino Oreja, CEO of Enagás; Gloria Fluxà, vicepresident & CSO of Grupo Iberostar; and Rafael Mateo, CEO of ACCIONA Energía, at the signing of the agreement.
This clean hydrogen will be produced at Spain’s first renewable hydrogen plant, located in the municipality of Lloseta (Mallorca). The renewable hydrogen supplied will reduce the consumption of energy derived from fossil fuels by Iberostar Group in its facilities. The renewable origin of the contracted supply will also be guaranteed by ACCIONA Energía, who will ensure the power’s traceability through its GreenH2Chain® blockchain technology platform. This tool will allow Iberostar Group to quantify, record and monitor the consumption of renewable hydrogen, which will be injected into its gas supply mix, favoring the decarbonization of its hotels in Mallorca. This, in turn, contributes to the development of a sustainable tourism model in the Balearic Islands.
The agreement foresees the sale of between 5 and 10 tons of hydrogen to Iberostar, of the more than 300 tons of green hydrogen to be produced overall at Lloseta, in addition to the Guarantees of Origin the group will be assigned. The strategic industrial Lloseta project is part of the Balearic Government’s Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca initiative, developed by ACCIONA Energía, Enagás, IDAE and Cemex with the collaboration of Redexis.
Sustainability plan
Iberostar Group has established its own 2030 goals, in alignment with the United Nations Agenda, based on circular economy policies and with the objective of becoming waste-free and 100% responsible in its seafood supply chain by 2025, and carbon neutral by 2030. The group also plans to protect and improve the ecosystems surrounding its hotels, offsetting a minimum of 75% of emissions through blue carbon solutions by 2030.
"This agreement allows us to lead the energy transition in the hotel sector while making progress with our own Agenda 2030, a commitment that aims to increase the consumption of more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative energies in the group's establishments globally. Through our Wave of Change movement, we promote innovative circular economy initiatives that position us as a leading example in responsible tourism," said Gloria Fluxà, vice president & CSO of Grupo Iberostar.
"Iberostar Group's commitment allows us to advance in the development of a new technology, green hydrogen, which has a leading role in the new generation of renewable energies. It is vital for companies in different economic sectors to take a qualitative leap towards a low-carbon economy," said Rafael Mateo, CEO of ACCIONA Energía.
"Thanks to our commitment to decarbonization and to projects like this one, Enagás has positioned itself among the world's leading companies in climate action. We have been working for two years on the Green Hysland initiative, which we coordinate, and which includes this Power to Green H2 Mallorca project. Green Hysland is a pioneering initiative in Europe that is moving forward to become a reality as soon as possible", highlighted Marcelino Oreja, CEO of Enagás, who added that "at Enagás we are committed to being carbon neutral by 2040 and we have reduced emissions by 63% since 2014. In addition, the company is promoting 55 renewable gas projects -34 green hydrogen and 21 biomethane-, with more than 50 partners".
With this agreement, Iberostar Group becomes one of the central pillars of the European Green Hysland project, an innovation project that aims to promote a green hydrogen ecosystem in Mallorca, serving as an example for other islands. In addition to its final use in the tourism industry, the Green Hysland project contemplates the use of green hydrogen for heat and power generation in public and commercial buildings and the creation of a supply station for city buses and last mile commercial vehicles.
The Green Hysland project consortium includes of a total of 30 partners from 11 different countries (9 of them from the EU, Chile and Morocco), from the industrial, scientific and public sectors. The European Commission's Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is co-financing the project with a €10 million grant through 2021-2025.
The core of the European Green Hysland project is the Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca industrial project developed by ACCIONA and Enagás in collaboration with IDAE, Cemex and Redexis. Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca includes the construction of an electrolysis plant to produce more than 300 tons of renewable hydrogen. The facility will be fed by two photovoltaic plants located in Petra and Lloseta, which are already under construction.
