Orfeón, the Spanish transport group, is to establish a logistics platform including a renewable hydrogen filling station in Tocha, Cantanhede, near Coimbra via a €38 million ($40.7 million) investment.
The company has reportedly acquired two plots of land with a combined size of 220,000 sq m. As well as the hydrogen filling station, the site will house a filling station for conventional fuels and a container park, and will create 350 jobs over the next two years.
Commenting on the investment, Orfeón director Rafael Ribes said: “I see Cantanhede as strategically located, in that it is neither in Lisbon or Porto alone”.
The group already has four hydrogen stations operating in Spain, and the objective is to create strategic points across the Iberian Peninsula where trucks can refuel, the company said, noting that it would be able to strengthen its competitive advantage by offering hydrogen at a lower price than conventional fuels.
“In Portugal we will have four hydrogen locations, one north of Porto, another in Cantanhede, one north of Lisbon and another south of Lisbon”, Mr Ribes added.
The logistics base in Tocha will open in 2023, with the hydrogen filling station expected to be operational about two to three years later.
Source: Jornal de Negócios
