{"id":8899,"date":"2026-06-05T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodnewenergy.enagas.es\/uncategorized\/hydrogen-refuelling-stations-how-they-work-and-why-they-will-be-key-to-mobility-in-spain\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:22:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:22:04","slug":"hidrogen-refuellig-stations-spain-how-they-work-where-they-are-located","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodnewenergy.enagas.es\/en\/proactive\/hidrogen-refuellig-stations-spain-how-they-work-where-they-are-located\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrogen refuelling stations: how they work and why they will be key to mobility in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the green hydrogen market develops in Spain and Europe, the infrastructure required for its deployment is attracting greater interest from different sectors that view this energy carrier as an optimal solution for decarbonisation and reducing energy dependence. The mobility sector, particularly heavy transport, relies on hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) to access the green hydrogen needed to decarbonise its operations.<\/p>\n

Green hydrogen, produced through electrolysis using renewable electricity, offers high energy density, short refuelling times, and a range that can cover long distances in zero-emission vehicles. These characteristics make it an ideal fuel for medium and long-distance heavy-duty transport, including freight trucks and passenger buses, as well as heavy-duty fleets.<\/p>\n

What initiatives exist to promote the use of green hydrogen as a fuel?<\/h2>\n

The RED III Directive (Renewable Energy Directive III), which forms part of the European Union\u2019s legislative package aimed at decarbonisation and the energy transition, sets out concrete targets for renewable fuels. It stipulates that, by 2030, more than 1% of transport energy consumption must come from renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), such as renewable hydrogen and its derivatives.<\/p>\n

The European Union\u2019s REPowerEU plan aims to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030, prioritising its use in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy transport. Additionally, Spain\u2019s PNIEC 2023\u20112030 proposes installing up to 12 GW of electrolysers by 2030.<\/p>\n

These production capacity targets and initiatives contribute to the development of a hydrogen refuelling station network and the use of hydrogen in heavy goods and passenger transport fleets. The European Union has also introduced regulatory instruments to provide further impetus, such as the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which sets binding targets for the rollout of alternative fuel infrastructure, including hydrogen refuelling stations, along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and in urban centres.<\/p>\n

As hydrogen refuelling stations are rolled out, here are some frequently asked questions and answers about this type of infrastructure.<\/p>\n

What is a hydrogen refuelling station and what is it for?<\/h2>\n

Hydrogen refuelling stations are similar to traditional filling stations, but instead of supplying petrol or diesel, they supply hydrogen to hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. They are facilities where the reception, compression, storage and dispensing of hydrogen can be managed, thus connecting production with final consumption wherever required.<\/p>\n

In this way, a hydrogen refuelling station can supply green hydrogen to vehicles and enable mainly trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles used for professional purposes to integrate green hydrogen into their operations. This facilitates decarbonisation by providing a fuel that can meet their usage requirements in both urban environments and strategic transport corridors.<\/p>\n

How does a hydrogen gas refuelling station work? <\/span><\/h2>\n

The process of operating a hydrogen gas refuelling station can be divided into several phases.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Firstly, hydrogen must be produced in an electrolysis plant using electricity from renewable sources. In stations where production occurs on-site, hydrogen is supplied directly to the station<\/strong>. As an alternative, the hydrogen can be produced at a different location and delivered to the station by specialised transport.<\/li>\n
  2. Once the hydrogen arrives at the station, it is compressed and stored<\/strong> in systems designed to withstand the required pressure. These storage systems keep the hydrogen ready to meet vehicle demand.<\/li>\n
  3. When a vehicle arrives to refuel, the driver connects the dispenser nozzle to the vehicle\u2019s receptacle. During the refuelling process, the station\u2019s system automatically controls both the flow of hydrogen entering the vehicle\u2019s tank and the pre-cooling temperature. This process is essential to ensure that the filling pressure and maximum temperature of the hydrogen do not exceed the limit values, thus guaranteeing safe filling. Under standard conditions, this process usually takes between three and ten minutes, depending on the vehicle type or tank capacity.<\/li>\n
  4. Once inside the vehicle, the hydrogen is used in the fuel cell to generate electricity to power the electric motor<\/strong>. As a result of this electrochemical reaction, the only by-product is water vapour.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What are the main components of a hydrogen gas refuelling station?<\/h2>\n

    Generally speaking, hydrogen gas refuelling stations share a basic architecture comprising several systems for receiving, conditioning and delivering hydrogen safely and efficiently.<\/p>\n