The project, which should be supported by the European Union, provides for the production of hydrogen from electrolysis in a combined cycle power plant, Mexia said on the sidelines of a round table in which he participated in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP25), being held in Madrid.

The head of EDP included this project in a list that he presented to show that the company is a world leader in renewables.

This list of projects includes "smart grids" (optimisation of energy systems to reach the end consumer) and floating wind (Windfloat Atlantic, a wind power plant at sea, off Viana do Castelo), among others.

According to EDP sources, the hydrogen production project, once approved, should start at the beginning of 2020, with the construction of the demonstration part at the Ribatejo Combined Cycle Plant expected from 2022.

An electrolyser (producing hydrogen and oxygen from water) with an installed capacity of one MW (megawatt) and 12 MWh (megawatts per hour) of storage capacity, means this pilot project will be a benchmark and one of the largest projects of this kind in Portugal.

According to the source, this will certainly be the technology of the future to produce hydrogen, allowing the use of renewables, and is "essential" for Portugal to achieve the goals of carbon neutrality by 2050.

EDP - through its R&D Centre for New Energy Technologies and EDP Produção - is leading the pilot demonstration project on an industrial scale at that power plant with a team of around 50 engineers from the company.

This project means EDP intends to gain practical experience in the production of hydrogen and its conversion into electricity, which will allow an in-depth analysis of the hydrogen value chain, studying the most favourable applications and business models.

Hydrogen is increasingly highlighted as one of the alternatives to achieve a clean, safe and accessible energy future.