Petronor looking into new technological solutions for flexible hydrogen production in the OPTIHY project.

At the last board meeting of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor in 2025, the OPTIHY project ‘Research into advanced technologies for flexible production of hydrogen’, led by Petronor, was included in the Production Vertical of the BH2C. The main objective of this competitive Hazitek project is to analyse the possibilities for flexibility offered by two hydrogen production technologies with different carbon footprints: electrolysis to generate green hydrogen and methane reforming for low-carbon hydrogen.

The project is looking to make the production and use of hydrogen in refineries more flexible by researching hydrogen synthesis processes and the technologies needed for their application in both current (reforming furnaces) and future (alkaline electrolysers) plant facilities. As part of this initiative, Petronor will assess both the impact of frequent load variations on production units and potential new technologies capable of enabling a more flexible, sustainable and competitive industrial model. The project will also pursue complementary lines of research to promote the efficient use of reclaimed water in hydrogen production processes and the impact this would have on the service life of the stacks.