The green hydrogen project promoted by Reolum in the province of León has received a €179,989,972 grant from the European Hydrogen Valleys program, consolidating the region as a strategic hub in the energy transition.
This financing, the highest rated among those awarded for project maturity, supports the construction of two green hydrogen plants in León—La Robla and Villadangos del Páramo—with a combined capacity of 415.2 MW and a total investment of €712 million. The initiative is part of the La Robla Green macro-project, which has a €850 million investment and will generate 200 direct jobs in areas declared as Just Transition areas.
Technological integration and industrial synergies
The Green Hydrogen Valley of León will combine renewable hydrogen production with pioneering storage and distribution systems. The La Robla facility (207.6 MW) will be connected by a 35-km gas pipeline to the twin plant at Villadangos del Páramo (207.6 MW), allowing not only flexible production transportation but also its use as an underground storage system. This dual infrastructure, unique in Southern Europe, will guarantee a stable supply to energy-intensive industries and facilitate the injection of surpluses into the national gas grid.
The synergy with the Reolum biomass complex completes the circular economy. The 41.4 MW of steam generated at the biomass plant will be used in the hydrogen valley's industrial processes, while the captured CO₂ (51 t/h) will serve as feedstock for e-methanol production at adjacent facilities.
Socioeconomic impact and implementation schedule
The project will activate a job retraining plan for workers at the former coal-fired power plant, with specialized training in hydrogen technologies. Of the 52 direct jobs linked to the hydrogen plant project, 60% will be reserved for local profiles, prioritizing groups affected by decarbonization. Construction will begin in the summer of 2025 after completing the bidding process for land in the "El Crispín" industrial estate, where the new facilities will be located.
Yann Dumont, vice president of Reolum, emphasized in a statement that "this project demonstrates that the energy transition can be a driver of rural development. The physical connection between La Robla and Villadangos will create a technological corridor that will attract clean industrial investment to the province." Dumont also highlighted the technical score obtained—second best among the 27 projects presented—attributed to the integration of carbon capture systems and the use of artificial intelligence to optimize production.
Strategic projection and next steps
The European Commission has included this hydrogen valley on its list of Projects of Common Interest, which will streamline the remaining administrative procedures. Reolum plans to close the remaining financing through a syndicated loan with four banking institutions in the second quarter of 2025, thus completing the total investment package of 712 million euros.
About Reolum
Reolum designs and develops innovative projects to drive decarbonization and advance the energy transition. These projects range from renewable energy generation, green hydrogen, and green e-methanol to CO2 capture, biomass cogeneration of both electricity and heat, and biomass supply.
