A group of 23 people, representatives of the consortium driving the VAL2H2 project, toured the pilot plant installed by Sorigué to research this innovative initiative.  

VAL2H2 embodies the joint effort of the public sector and private companies to advance the study and valorization of renewable hydrogen. To this end, Sorigué’s Innovation Department coordinates the research in consortium with Indox Energy Systems, specialized in fuels and liquefied gases; the Eurecat technology centre, which designs solutions for business competitiveness; the Catalonia Energy Research Institute (IREC); the Centre for Energy, Environmental, and Technological Research (Ciemat) and Rovira i Virgili University (URV).  

“VAL2H2: Research on new technologies for the generation, storage, and use of renewable H2 through the valorization of bio-waste” is an R&D initiative included in the innovative renewable hydrogen value chain support programme of Spain’s Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union.  

The project features two renewable H2 production pilot plants: one managed by Sorigué in Lleida and another located at Eurecat’s facilities in Manresa.  

Utilization of bio-waste  

The partners’ visit to the pilot plant at Noguera Renovables’ facilities in Vallfogona de Balaguer, Lleida, allowed them to closely observe the technologies that will be used to study how to utilize hard-to-valorize bio-waste, such as pruning residues and other organic matter sources, in the production of H2, also known as green hydrogen because it comes from renewable sources and emits no CO₂ into the atmosphere. 

During the project’s development, the pilot plant aims to produce up to 1 kg/h of renewable hydrogen and advance the entire gas value chain, from production and purification to its conversion into electricity.  

After touring the pilot plant, the group travelled to Anglesona and Fonolleres, also in Lleida, to visit Indox’s facilities and learn about their renewable energy projects.  

Noguera Renovables, a hub for research  

The VAL2H2 plant is located within the Noguera Renovables facilities, a biomethane production centre using livestock waste, where Sorigué collaborates with Axpo, a renewable energy marketer, and Torre Santamaría, the first Spanish livestock farm to develop a circular economy circuit for energy self-sufficiency and gas injection into the national grid.  

Additionally, Noguera Renovables hosts the pilot plant for the HarvRESt project, which seeks to integrate renewable energy sources into farms to promote the decarbonization of the primary sector. This initiative, also present in Norway, Denmark, and Italy, aims to develop systems to optimize the use of renewable energy sources. From Spain, Sorigué’s Innovation Department collects data from its biomethane plant to model biogas production from agricultural waste.