The French company Veolia, which specialises in green transformation, has launched the world's first sustainable urban cold recovery network with Enagás in Barcelona. The energy is actually obtained by recovering the residual cold from the regasification process at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that the energy operator has in the port of Barcelona, the tenth largest in Europe.

Enagás, which is also the technical manager of the gas and hydrogen system in Spain, has signed an agreement with Veolia to develop business opportunities and adapt this innovative and sustainable solution, both in Spain and internationally. This example of public-private collaboration could thereby be exported to the over 150 regasification terminals around the world.

Sustainable, decarbonised and competitive energy
Barcelona's new urban cooling network is now operational and generates 131 GWh per year of sustainable, decarbonised and competitive energy. The LNG arrives at the terminal by ship, where it is kept in a liquid state at a temperature of -160ºC. To regasify it, it has to be brought back to ambient temperature in a process using seawater.

Through the process developed by Veolia, the residual cold is now recovered and utilised at a temperature of -20ºC. The recovered energy is injected into what Veolia describes as the largest urban cooling network in southern Europe, spread between the south of Barcelona and part of Hospitalet de Llobregat.

Infrastructure like the Fira de Barcelona convention centre, offices for the Government of Catalonia and industrial centres all benefit from this energy source, along with public facilities, residential customers and other tertiary buildings, from offices to hotels and shopping centres. Veolia has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Mercabarna to examine the possibility of supplying sustainable cooling to the over 600 companies that use its facilities.

Enormous potential
Veolia CEO Estelle Brachlianoff explained, “In the fight against global warming and the quest for energy sovereignty, we must do everything in our power to prevent energy losses. As part of our strategic GreenUp programme, waste heat and cold recovery is an important component of Veolia's strategy for the green transformation of its energy mix. The replicability of this solution is a world first and opens up huge potential in Europe and internationally.”

Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo also responded, “Today we have taken a very important step forwards with our commitment to innovation and sustainability in our industrial processes. This is an emblematic, sustainable energy project for the city of Barcelona, using energy generation technology developed by Enagás, and which will provide access to sustainable and competitive cooling for industries and consumers in the area of influence around the Enagás regasification plant and the port of Barcelona.”

^{Photo: Veolia}