nitrogen

Extremadura is ceasing to be solely a heritage and agricultural reference to consolidating itself as a new strategic pole on the map of the international energy industry. The latest confirmation of this metamorphosis comes from China: the multinational Jinhong Gas. This Chinese giant has chosen the regional capital to take the leap and install its first factory in all of Europe. In short. As stated in a resolution of the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE)the Government of Extremadura has been released to public information the request for Unified Environmental Authorization (AAU) for this project. With this movement, a legal period of 20 business days is opened so that any person or entity can consult the technical file and present the pertinent allegations before its final approval. More in depth. In fact, to protect this operation, the Asian corporation has already formally established in the city the commercial company ‘Jinhong Gas (Spain) SL’, injecting an initial share capital of 100,000 euros. In economic and logistical terms, the main objective of this nitrogen plant is to directly supply the future gigafactory of materials for cathodes for electric vehicle batteries promoted by its compatriot, the Chinese company Hunan Yuneng, and which plans to mobilize 800 million euros and create around 500 direct jobs. The basis of the project. The DOE provides a technical x-ray exhaustive. The factory will be built on plot I-18 of the Expacio Mérida business park, occupying an area of ​​12,000 square meters. Its forecasts are massive: operating about 8,000 hours per year, the facility will have the capacity to produce up to 100 million cubic meters of nitrogen per year (17,000 Nm3/h). The industrial process, according to the official documentwill use cryogenic air separation technology. This means subjecting the air to a complex circuit that includes compression using 1,250 kW turbines, purifying drying to eliminate CO2 and humidity, and extreme cooling using pumps that operate at -196 ºC. All this happens in a “Cold Box” where the air is distilled to obtain nitrogen with a purity greater than 99%. At a logistical level, the production will be sent in gaseous format through direct pipelines to the final consumer (like neighbor Hunan Yuneng). The rest will be stored in a liquid state in two monumental vertical cryogenic tanks, 4 meters in diameter and 250 cubic meters in capacity each, for sale to third parties. To maintain this production rate, the project estimates an annual consumption of 36.8 GW of electrical energy and 96,000 cubic meters of water. The thirst for megawatts. Like the Extremaduran gigafactories, the technological giants that land in the country share the same need: an inexhaustible thirst for stable and cheap energy. And this is where Spain has the resources to lead the continent. Thanks to an unprecedented photovoltaic and wind deployment, the country has earned the right to dream of being the great “Europe battery”. This immense renewable potential is the perfect magnet for the new electro-intensive industry and is what drives us in the race to be the great hub of data centers in southern Europe. To pave the way, the Government is already making moves to shield these macroprojects from electrical costseliminating anachronistic barriers such as the obligation to consume at night (the old off-peak hours), a requirement that does not make sense when our solar energy overflows the meters at noon. Kilometer zero of the new industry. With earthworks already started in ExpacioMérida and environmental procedures in their public exhibition phase, Extremadura takes an irreversible step. The ancient Roman capital embraces the 21st century, assuming a leading role. It is no longer just about attracting Asian multinationals, but about demonstrating that Spain can combine reindustrialization with clean energy, establishing itself as the perfect ecosystem for the mobility and technology of the future. Image | jh-gas Xataka | The war with Iran has made energy a problem. The United Kingdom believes it has a solution: solar panels