Fusion Fuel Green PLC has signed an MOU with Magnesitas De Rubian, S.A. (Magnesitas), a Spanish mining company, to jointly explore the feasibility of combining green hydrogen and carbon capture technology to reduce the carbon intensity of mining operations and processing. The longer-term ambition of the partnership is to accelerate the timeline to climate neutrality of mining activity and develop new mining solutions based on zero-emissions hydrogen.

The proposed project would involve the installation of up to 10,000 HEVO-SOLAR units at Magnesitas’ site in Lugo, Spain, which would enable Fusion Fuel to produce 20,000 t of green hydrogen annually. A portion of the output would be used to generate industrial heat in the Magnesitas’ natural gas / hydrogen combi furnaces, while the remainder would be combined with 125,000 t of CO2 captured by Magnesitas De Rubian to produce between 38,000 and 45,000 tons of synthetic fuels annually.

The mining sector is one of the key focus areas of the energy transition – mining operations are responsible for roughly 1% of total greenhouse gas emissions globally and are a significant driver of global primary energy consumption. Using green hydrogen to generate industrial heat and produce synthetic fuels using captured carbon represents a crucial first step to reducing the carbon intensity of the mining sector.