Renewable energies and self-consumption

The Extremadura Energy Agency (AGENEX) took part this week in Kilkenny (Ireland) in the second interregional event of the UNIFHY project. This European initiative, co-financed by the Interreg Europe programme, is led by AGENEX and brings together five other partners from Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Poland.

The Extremadura delegation was made up of the Director General for Industry, Energy and Mines of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Raquel Pastor; the Director of AGENEX, Lidia Calderón; and technical staff from the agency and from the Iberian Centre for Research in Energy Storage (CIIAE).

Over the two days, participants shared experiences and discussed public policies, common challenges and replicable solutions for the integration of green hydrogen and biogases.

Regional analysis

AGENEX presented the regional analysis of Extremadura on green hydrogen and biogases, prepared with the technical support of CIIAE. The study examines the current situation of the region and identifies both regulatory and economic barriers that still hinder deployment, as well as opportunities linked to the potential of the industrial and agri-food sectors.

The document also recommends strengthening public awareness to boost social acceptance of these technologies, advancing administrative simplification and taking advantage of the research capacity provided by CIIAE and the University of Extremadura. With these measures, Extremadura can accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-electrify sectors and consolidate its position in the use of renewable gases.

The programme also included technical presentations, workshops for the exchange of best practices and a visit to the hydrogen pilot plant at Daltons Chancellor’s Mills, linked to the agri-food sector.

Through this international meeting, Extremadura continues to demonstrate its commitment to the deployment of green hydrogen and biogases, while drawing inspiration from the work being carried out in other European regions.

The UNIFHY project

UNIFHY – Unifying policies to support the uptake of green hydrogen to decarbonize Europe – is a project co-financed by the EU through the Interreg Europe programme. With a total budget of nearly €1.4 million, it involves the energy agencies of Extremadura (AGENEX), southern Sweden (EASS) and southeast Ireland (SEEA), as well as the regions of Lubelskie (Poland) and Moravia-Silesia (Czech Republic), and the municipality of Aalborg (Denmark).

The project responds to the need to seek sustainable energy alternatives, such as biogas and green hydrogen, that contribute to emissions reduction, strengthen energy security, efficiently manage waste and create jobs in rural areas. It focuses mainly on their deployment in sectors with particular difficulties in electrification, such as heavy transport and industry.