![\"\"](\"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/f1.jpg\")
<\/a>The agreement by all parties to promote the growth of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, with economic development and climate change mitigation as its primary goals, has resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the principal stakeholders involved in the initiative, represented by Ramon Tremosa, the minister for Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government; Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Figueras, rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Noem\u00ed Llaurad\u00f3, president of Tarragona Provincial Council; Josep Maria Cruset, president of the Tarragona Port Authority; Montserrat Ballar\u00edn, vice-president of the Social and Economic Development of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, and Rub\u00e9n Folgado, president of the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT), in addition to the aforementioned of Repsol and Enag\u00e1s, Antonio Brufau and Antonio Llard\u00e9n.<\/p>\n
The event began with a welcome speech by the Mayor of Tarragona, Pau Ricom\u00e0, in which he expressed his support for the initiative and stressed \u201cthe city\u2019s commitment to the project and to the implementation of renewable hydrogen\u201d. This was followed by Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Figueras, rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the institution coordinating and promoting the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, who expressed her thanks for the support of all stakeholders and stated that \u201cthe knowledge agents and administrations and companies that participate in this initiative seek to consolidate all of their assets and potentialities in order to make the Valley a leader in the transition to a society and economy based on renewable hydrogen, through knowledge, research, production, distribution and use\u201d. In this context, the rector has highlighted that the role played by the URV involves \u201cleading and promoting training, socialization and research into the new value chains of renewable hydrogen\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ramon Tremosa has expressed the \u201ctotal support\u201d of the Catalan Government for the Valley, \u201ca competitive and transformative strategic project with a clear impact on the territory that will contribute to the need for energy transition\u201d and he asked the Spanish Government for \u201creal joint governance in the management of the Next Generation initiatives. We have to play a key role if we want to maximize the resources that Europe makes available to us\u201d, he stated.<\/p>\n
Noem\u00ed Llaurad\u00f3, for her part, has stated that the institution that she presides over is committed to making the Tarragona region \u201clead the implementation of this energy model throughout Catalonia and become a driver of development and a European reference point in this ambit\u201d. According to Llaurad\u00f3, \u201cthe energy transition is a question that can be dealt with particularly well at local level and in concert and dialogue with fellow stakeholders\u201d. For his part, Josep Maria Cruset has expressed the support of the Port of Tarragona for a project that \u201cbrings together the protection of the environment and the sustainable economic development of society\u201d. \u201cIt is for this reason that we are making all of the Port\u2019s assess and potential available for the project\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n
Montserrat Ballar\u00edn has demonstrated the commitment of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area \u201cto the challenges of climate change and sustainability\u201d and has highlighted the BMA\u2019s work both in support of clean energies and in the drastic reduction of emissions from private transport, thus \u201cworking towards the carbon neutrality of our territory\u201d. The president of the BMA and the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, was not able to be present in Tarragona but appeared in the opening presentation video of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, alongside the other stakeholders. Colau referred to the commitment by Barcelona Metropolitan Transport to incorporate renewable hydrogen as a fuel and thus implement the first public hydrogen station in Spain.<\/p>\n Enag\u00e1s and Repsol are the two companies that have positioned themselves at the forefront of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia. The president of Repsol, Antonio Brufau, stated his company will be one of the main actors in the process of transforming the petrochemical hub of Tarragona, \u201cthus helping it to become an industrial leader in Europe\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cAll of us who make up the Valley want to tackle the challenge of the energy transition in a way that is engaged with society and we will do so through innovation and technology\u201d, he added. For his part, Antonio Llard\u00e9n stated that Enag\u00e1s will contribute its experience in promoting renewable hydrogen projects that are \u201csustainable in the long term, with innovative technologies that promote a competitive industry and generate wealth and employment\u201d. According to Llard\u00e9n, \u201cindustry is crucial to driving the reconstruction of a strong economy and society\u201d.<\/p>\n Rub\u00e9n Folgado, president of the Tarragona Port Authority, stated that the chemical industry has a responsibility to play an active part in the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia.\u00a0 \u201cWe are taking on a key role in the energy transition, in this process that can no longer be put off, not only because of our obligation to comply with the emissions restrictions that the European Union has established for the 2030 and 2050 horizons, but also because the survival of our activities is at stake and, above all, because of a sense of conviction. We individuals who make up the chemical industry are the first to insist on our own sustainability and the need to protect the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n In the closing speech, Vice-President Pere Aragon\u00e8s described the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia as \u201chighly exciting\u201d and that it must be \u201cthe first step in reducing carbon emissions\u201d. \u201cThis initiative has all of the features that we hope to see in the Catalonia of the future, the Catalonia that we have to start building right now\u201d, asserted Aragon\u00e8s, who also stated that the Next Generation EU funds are an opportunity that must not be missed. In fact, the Hydrogen Valley is one of the 27 projects for driving the economic recovery that the Catalan Government wants to prioritise in order to access European funds.<\/p>\n The vice-president also explained how the Hydrogen Valley project is much more than an alternative source of clean energy because it \u201ctakes advantage of the economic crisis to promote the transformation that country\u2019s manufacturing sector needs\u201d. According to Aragon\u00e8s, \u201cit is precisely these big, ambitious impact projects that are needed so that the Catalan economy can gain competitiveness, position itself as an international leader, and fight against climate change\u201d.<\/p>\n The event was presented by the journalist Xavier Graset and has also served to formalize the alliance of knowledge, science and technology comprising the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) and the Eurecat Technology Centre, which is the research and innovation core of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia and which has been working for a long time in the ambit of renewable hydrogen.<\/p>\n<\/a>