Repsol Foundation and the Universidad de Navarra promote knowledge about the role of hydrogen in the energy transition
- Repsol Foundation and the Universidad de Navarra organized a meeting this morning with the aim of publicizing the developments made in green hydrogen as an energy source for the energy transition.
- The event, which is part of the activities of the Repsol Foundation Energy Transition and Research Program at the Universidad de Navarra, was attended by Dean of the Universidad de Navarra, María Iraburu; Repsol Chairman, Antonio Brufau; Minister of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition of the Government of Navarra, Mikel Irujo; and the mayor of Pamplona, Cristina Ibarrola. The Navarra Industry Association (AIN) and the Navarra Chamber of Commerce collaborated on the day.
- Antonio Brufau highlighted the role of companies as allies of Public Administrations in the decarbonization of the economy. To achieve this, Repsol CEO stated how essential it is that Europe stops losing competitiveness compared to other regions and begins to function as an integrated market. Without similar regulations on industrial, energy, and tax matters in all member states, companies will not be able to compete on equal terms.”
- During the event, the award for the best end-of-degree project was also awarded to the mechanical engineering student, Marta Rodríguez.
Repsol Foundation and Tecnun, the School of Engineering at the Universidad de Navarra, this morning held the meeting “Advancing towards a hydrogen society: transport and distribution” with the aim of publicizing the advances of green hydrogen as a source of energy for the energy transition.
The event, which is part of the activities of the Repsol Foundation Energy Transition Education and Research Program at the Universidad de Navarra, was attended by Dean of the Universidad de Navarra, María Iraburu; the Repsol Chairman, Antonio Brufau; Minister of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition of the Government of Navarra, Mikel Irujo; and mayor of Pamplona, Cristina Ibarrola. The Navarra Industry Association (AIN) and the Navarra Chamber of Commerce collaborated on the day.
Antonio Brufau highlighted Repsol's commitment to a fair energy transition that ensures Europe's autonomy. However, the commitment to protecting supply, universal access to energy, and of course decarbonization, must be accompanied from Europe in the form of incentives not prohibitions; simplifying regulations and therefore preventing national standards from fragmenting the single market. “It's impossible to expect companies to make the necessary investments to address the energy transition without a clear set of rules,” stated the Repsol CEO during the meeting.
The Dean of the Universidad de Navarra, María Iraburu, thanked Repsol and the Repsol Foundation for supporting research, because “collaboration agreements between the business world and the university allow us to conduct research in areas with a positive impact on society. An example is this Education and Research Program, since green hydrogen, due to its key role in decarbonization, can contribute to responding to the energy challenges we face.”
During the event, the director of the Energy Transition Education and Research Program, Tomás Gómez-Acebo, explained that “hydrogen is like a Swiss army knife that can be used for almost everything. Where energy is needed, it is possible to think about its applications and there is enormous expectation surrounding its development plans, from the point of view of production, transportation, and its use," he noted.
The director of Tecnun, the School of Engineering of the Universidad de Navarra, Raúl Antón, presented the award for best Master's end-of-year project to the Marta Rodríguez, Mechanical Engineering student, for her project that analyzes and compares two propulsion systems for heavy vehicles with hydrogen.
The conference, which included different experts who analyzed the possibilities of implementing hydrogen as a new energy vector, had a discussion on the challenges of the hydrogen roadmap, in which the executive managing directors of the technology company ARIEMA, Rafael Luque, and the sustainable transport association Gasnam, Eugenia Sillero, took part.
Solutions in the distribution and transportation of H2 in the hydrogen society were also addressed, where the director of Hydrogen at Enagás, Jesús Gil; the director of Hydrogen Project Development at Redexis, Alberto Andrés; the Hydrogen Business Development manager at Repsol, Maribel Rodríguez; and the Strategic and Business Development Area manager at the Foundation for the Development of Hydrogen Technologies in Aragon (FHA), Guillermo Figueruelo, took part.
The executive a managing director of the Repsol Foundation António Calçada, closed the meeting by highlighting the importance of the university when it comes to addressing the great scientific-technological challenges facing society.