The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, accompanied by the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, inaugurated the new green hydrogen biorefinery, Biogreenfinery, this Friday in Pozo Izquierdo. The project, led by the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), has been fully funded through the REACT-EU fund

This state-of-the-art scientific and technological infrastructure, with an investment close to 6 million euros, opens new avenues for applied research and the validation of green fuels aimed at decarbonizing transportation.

The hydrogen refueling station will supply renewable hydrogen to two vehicles and a bus powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the latter to be operated by the transportation company GLOBAL for real-world load and mobility monitoring

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, emphasized the Archipelago’s “clear and firm” commitment to research, considering it the best way to combat climate change. As an example of this priority strategy, Clavijo participated this Friday in the inauguration of the experimental plant ‘Biogreenfinery’ of the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), a 100% renewable infrastructure, pioneering in Spain and Europe, aimed at testing the use of green hydrogen in land transportation within the archipelago.

The event was also attended by the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, who took advantage of her participation in the Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions (ORs), held in Tenerife, to travel to Gran Canaria and learn first-hand about the work carried out by the ITC, especially the research financed with European funds.

Ferreira highlighted the European Union's support for projects like this green hydrogen biorefinery, which aims to decarbonize land transportation on the islands. In fact, the experimental plant ‘Biogreenfinery’ has been fully funded with 6 million euros from the REACT-EU Fund, under the European instrument NextGenerationEU.

Additionally funded by European funds, the ITC is currently implementing two other major projects. The first is 'BlueAct,' with a budget of 7,596,985 euros, currently in its final phase, involving trials and testing of new food formats and business incubation throughout the value chain of biotechnological activity focused on marine plant biomass and land-based aquaculture. The second is the DesalRO experimental seawater desalination technology platform, with a budget of 3,087,300 euros.

Accompanying the President of the Canary Islands and the European Commissioner at this event were the Regional Minister of Finance and Relations with the European Union, Matilde Asián, and the Deputy Minister of Universities and Research, Ciro Gutiérrez, along with the ITC Director, Gonzalo Piernavieja. The event was also attended by the Rectors of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lluís Serra, and the University of La Laguna, Francisco García, along with representatives from local corporations, business associations, and entities linked to the energy and transportation sectors.

The 'Biogreenfinery' project began in November 2021 and has had a budget close to 6 million euros, fully financed by the REACT-EU Fund. This testing and demonstration platform for hydrogen technologies for the production of renewable fuels covers an area of 2,000 m² at the Canary Islands Institute of Technology facilities located in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria.

It is a 100% renewable biorefinery plant, the first of its kind in Spain and a pioneer in Europe, designed to test the use of green hydrogen in land transportation (cars, buses, and other heavy vehicles), the production of green ammonia for its application in maritime transport, and the development of future biofuels for use in air transport. This pilot plant represents a significant advancement in the search for technological solutions to reduce pollutant emissions in the transportation sector in the Canary Islands.

The Deputy Minister of Universities and Research emphasized that “this testing platform for clean energy technologies for transportation places the Canary Islands on the global map of advanced infrastructures for sustainability and opens doors for strategic collaboration with a global dimension.” According to Gutiérrez, the biorefinery plant created by the ITC “marks a before and after in the efforts to leverage the archipelago's strengths and leadership capacity in new niches of the green economy and employment.”

Website: www.biogreenfinery.com

Other scientific-technological infrastructures financed with EU funds include the BlueAct project, with a budget of 7,596,985 euros fully financed through the REACT-EU Fund, which is in its final phase of execution. Thanks to the investment in state-of-the-art technical equipment and infrastructure and laboratory upgrades, the Blue Biotechnology and Aquaculture Experimental Area in Pozo Izquierdo has been equipped with high-performance technology services, enabling trials and testing of new food formats and business incubation throughout the value chain of biotechnological activity focused on marine plant biomass and land-based aquaculture.

The third project carried out by the ITC with REACT-EU cohesion funds in recent years is the DesalRO experimental seawater desalination technology platform, with a budget of 3,087,300 euros. The aim of this initiative is to overcome the high energy demand of the reverse osmosis process in water desalination, through the design of an optimized industrial-scale desalination plant, pioneering in the sector, capable of operating below 2.0 kWh/m3 of consumption. This large-scale infrastructure (5,000 m³/d), which is being implemented on a smaller scale (2,500 m³/d) in Pozo Izquierdo, will enable the testing and validation of more efficient and sustainable technologies, devices, and equipment, as well as the valorization of the brine by-product.