BARCELONA, Spain, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government has approved a major renewable energy project worth over 320 million euros (355.2 million U.S. dollars) to produce green hydrogen and methanol near the Asco nuclear power plant in Catalonia, according to the local Diary of Tarragona on Wednesday.

The Sophya project, led by Madrid-based company Alkeymia, is one of two initiatives in Tarragona awarded funding from the European Union's Next Generation funds through Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

The project includes the construction of a 160 MW electrolyzer to generate green hydrogen, along with a nearby plant to convert it into green methanol. Both facilities will occupy about seven hectares in the Asco industrial area. They will be powered by renewable electricity from three wind farms in neighboring Aragon, with a combined capacity of 252 MW.

Alkeymia expects the Asco site to produce 19,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, which will be converted into 125,000 tonnes of green methanol for export via the nearby Port of Tarragona. The company is currently in discussions with port authorities to build dedicated storage infrastructure.

Construction is expected to begin after receiving local planning approval later this year. The project is set to create 630 jobs during development and 240 ongoing positions once operational in 2029.

Nationally, Spain is investing 1.2 billion euros in seven green hydrogen projects, aiming to generate 20,000 jobs and mobilize five billion euros in total investment. (1 euro = 1.11 dollar) Enditem

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