Expoquimia joins TECNALIA to address the challenges of hydrogen use in industry

Expoquimia, Fira de Barcelona’s International Chemistry Meeting, and TECNALIA, Spain’s largest applied research and technological development centre, have signed a collaboration agreement to organise ‘Hydrogen Day’, a conference to be held on 30 May as part of the Barcelona show with the aim of addressing the challenges and opportunities involved in using hydrogen at an industrial level.

At this workshop, scheduled as part of the Expoquimia Industry Showcase area, around twenty experts in this field will discuss the challenges that companies have to face with the growing use of this energy source in order to make its use viable at an industrial level.

Organised jointly by Expoquimia and TECNALIA, Hydrogen Day consists of a plenary session and four round tables that will analyse issues such as hydrogen generation itself, its distribution and storage, its industrial uses and the training plans required in this field. Solutions already on the market will also be presented so that, in particular, small and medium-sized companies can make use of this new energy source without jeopardising their economic viability.

Representatives from leading companies such as Carburos Metálicos, Enagás, H2Site, Iberdrola, Jolt, Nortegas, Repsol, Sarralle, Sener or Team,  among others, have already confirmed their participation.

Although its use is still a minority, institutions and governments around the world are implementing policies to promote the use of hydrogen in industry, as it is a clean and sustainable energy source as an alternative to fossil fuels, which enables the reduction of emissions, facilitates decarbonisation and reduces dependence on traditional fuels. In this sense, the European Union has set itself the objective of producing 10 million tonnes of this fuel per year by 2030, as well as being a fundamental element in the fight against climate change.

This conference will form part of the official programme of activities for the 20th edition of Expoquimia, the sector’s leading trade fair in Spain which, with the slogan ‘Connecting industry, society and sustainability’, will feature a wide-ranging exhibition of the chemical industry, an essential sector for economic development and the well-being of society.

From 30 May to 2 June, Expoquimia will be held alongside Equiplast, Spain’s leading plastics and rubber show, bringing together 560 exhibiting companies and more than 1,000 brands, which will be showcasing their latest innovations and innovations.

The director of Expoquimia, Xavier Pascual, stated that “green hydrogen is a great opportunity for the decarbonisation of large economic sectors while at the same time representing a challenge for industry. The generation, distribution and storage of H2 is the great challenge that we want to address in this conference with the help of leading experts”.

For his part, the head of hydrogen technologies at TECNALIA, Ekain Fernández, said that “at TECNALIA we develop innovative technologies in the field of hydrogen to create a strong industry and a national value chain, with the ultimate goal that all our activity will ultimately benefit society”.

Founded in 2010 and located in the Basque Country, TECNALIA defines itself as the largest applied research and technological development centre in Spain, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance and a European benchmark.

Barcelona, 27 April 2023

Maria Dolors Herranz / Edu Pérez Moya
93 233 25 41 / 93 233 21 66
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com / eperezm@firabarcelona.com