Pradales strengthens Euskadi’s industrial strategy with a firm commitment to decarbonisation and strategic autonomy
The President of the Basque Government (Lehendakari), Imanol Pradales, visited the Petronor facilities this morning, accompanied by the Regional Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, in a visit that also included company executives. During the tour, the Lehendakari highlighted the strategic role of the plant, underlining its contribution to sustaining Euskadi’s welfare system and its relevance in the current context of industrial and energy transformation.
During the visit, projects such as the Decarbonisation Hub were presented. This initiative is aimed at transforming CO₂ emissions into materials for use in the construction sector. The 10 MW electrolyser was also showcased — a project developed in direct collaboration between the Basque Government and Petronor, which will supply renewable hydrogen and oxygen to the synthetic fuels plant. In addition, the Lehendakari was shown the site where the future 100 MW electrolyser will be built, a key piece of infrastructure for the refinery’s future. The project will involve an investment of €292 million, will use European technology and is expected to come into operation in the first half of 2029.
Pradales emphasised the importance of moving towards greater strategic sovereignty at European level, particularly in the industrial sphere, and framed the Petronor project as an example of how to combine decarbonisation, competitiveness and energy autonomy. In this regard, he announced that, together with the 2.5 MW electrolyser, a green hydrogen production unit already operating at the refinery, and the 10 MW electrolyser currently under construction, the future 100 MW electrolyser will make it possible to replace part of the hydrogen produced from natural gas with hydrogen generated using renewable electricity. This will prevent the emission of up to 167,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year and will strengthen Euskadi’s industrial decarbonisation strategy in line with European objectives. The green hydrogen produced will be used primarily for the refinery’s internal consumption, partially replacing conventional hydrogen.
The Lehendakari explained that this project will help transform the energy and industrial sector by reducing dependence on fossil fuels, fostering the creation of a new market, enabling cost reductions and making energy storage possible. In addition, the hydrogen produced at Petronor will not only be used within the refinery itself, but will also be distributed to different industrial and mobility users, supplied via pipeline to technology parks and industrial platforms, and used to fuel heavy transport vehicles powered by green hydrogen.
In this context, Pradales stressed that initiatives such as this strengthen Euskadi’s energy sovereignty by reducing external dependence and making use of its own renewable resources. “The challenge we face in Europe is enormous: to decarbonise our industry and our development model as quickly as possible, while doing so without losing competitiveness,” he stated. In his view, this requires smart decarbonisation, in which the jobs of thousands of people, social cohesion, technological progress and environmental balance are at stake, as well as the continent’s strategic autonomy.
In this regard, the Basque Government is collaborating in the development of the 10 MW electrolyser through the Basque Energy Agency (EVE). The Basque Executive is also working on a number of initiatives that will form part of a Transformative Project aligned with the Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030.
Finally, the Lehendakari reaffirmed the Basque Government’s commitment to assume its responsibility and to place itself at the forefront of the roadmap defined by Europe, based on the strategy of “more industry, better industry and fewer emissions”, with the aim of building “more and better Europe”.
