DECEMBER 2021

Iberostar Group signs an agreement with Acciona Energía and Enagás for the supply of green hydrogen – a first for the Spanish tourism sector

This initiative is the first of its kind in the tourism industry.

Iberostar Group, ACCIONA Energía and Enagás have signed an agreement that makes us the first consumer of renewable hydrogen in the Spanish tourism sector. This initiative, the first of its kind in the tourism industry, will allow for the supply of green hydrogen energy to all our hotels on Mallorca, cutting their natural gas consumption by between 2% and 5%. This is a further milestone on our road map to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.


This clean fuel will be produced at Spain’s first renewable hydrogen plant, located in the municipality of Lloseta (Mallorca). Via the gas network, the renewable hydrogen will cut Iberostar Group’s consumption of fossil fuels at our facilities. Furthermore, ACCIONA Energía guarantees the traceability of the supply thanks to its use of GreenH2Chain® blockchain technology. This tool allows the consumption of the renewable hydrogen included in the gas supply mix to be quantified, recorded and monitored, thereby favouring the proportional decarbonisation of the hotels on Mallorca, and in turn contributing to the development of a sustainable tourism model for the Balearic Islands.   


The agreement contemplates hydrogen sales and Guarantees of Origin to Iberostar Group of between 5 and 10 tons out of the more than 300 tons of green hydrogen that the Lloseta plant is set to produce as part of the Balearic Island Government’s strategic industrial project ‘Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca’, developed by ACCIONA Energía, Enagás, IDAE and Cemex in collaboration with Redexis.

 

Sustainability Plan

Here at Iberostar Group, we have our own 2030 goals, in line with the United Nations SDG agenda. They are based on circular economy policies that will make us waste-free and 100% responsible in our sea-based supply chain by 2025 and enable us to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. A further goal is to improve the health of the ecosystems our hotels are located in through the application of blue carbon solutions that will compensate for at least 75% of emissions by 2030.  

“This agreement positions us at the forefront of energy transition in the hotel sector and will enable us to move ahead with our own 2030 Agenda. This commitment could also lay the foundations for gradually increasing the consumption of more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative energies in the Group properties around the world. Our Wave of Change movement promotes innovative circular economy initiatives capable of positioning us as a benchmark for responsible tourism”, explained Gloria Fluxà, Iberostar Group’s Vice-chairman & CSO.

a view of a city

This agreement has turned Iberostar Group into a key element for Green Hysland, a European project for innovation in the promotion of a green hydrogen ecosystem on Mallorca that will set an example for other islands. In addition to its end use in tourism, the Green Hysland project includes the use of green hydrogen to generate heat and power in public and commercial buildings, as well as the creation of a supply station for urban buses and last mile commercial vehicles.  

The Green Hysland project consortium is made up of 30 partners from 11 countries (including nine from the European Union, Chile and Morocco) operating in industry, science and the public sector. The project is co-funded by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), a European Commission organism, which has granted a 10 million euro subsidy for the 2021-2025 period.   

At the core of the Green Hysland European project is the Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca industrial project developed by ACCIONA and Enagás in collaboration with IDAE, Cemex and Redexis. Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca includes the building of an electrolysis plant on the island capable of producing more than 300 tons of renewable hydrogen that will be powered by two photovoltaic plants currently under construction in Petra and Lloseta.