1332 REPURPOSING A FORMER COAL MINE: GREEN HYDROGEN FOR THE TRANSPORT SECTOR USING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY COUPLED WITH THE HEATING SECTOR *A. Krzemień1, P. Riesgo Fernández2, G. Fidalgo Valverde2, A.L. Marqués Sierra2, F.J. Iglesias Rodríguez2 1Department of Extraction Technologies, Rockburst and Risk Assessment, Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute, Katowice, Poland, (*Presenting author: akrzemien@gig.eu) 2Department of Business Administration, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain ABSTRACT This paper presents the design and early implementation progress of the European Union (EU) Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) MINE-TO-H2 project (Grant Agreement nº 101140154). This demonstrator converts a former underground coal mine (Pozo Fondón, Langreo, Asturias, Spain) into an integrated renewable hydrogen hub coupled with district heating. The demonstrator comprises a 2.5 MW polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis system (scalable to 5 MW) producing green hydrogen for passenger road transport. Two post-mining resources are valorised: (i) mine water (La Nalona mine) used as the raw water feedstock, treated via reverse osmosis and electro-deionisation, and (ii) open pit reclaimed mining land used for photovoltaic generation complemented by renewable electricity purchased through a power purchase agreement. Hydrogen is stored and distributed at 500 bar via tube trailers (‘virtual hydroduct’) to a 350 bar refuelling station for intercity buses. Sector coupling is achieved through (a) blending of a fraction of hydrogen into the existing natural gas grid (target up to 2.5% per year) and (b) recovery of electrolyser waste heat to hybridise an existing geothermal district heating installation, with estimated electricity savings of approximately 3.9 GWh per year in the cooling and heat-pump systems. Key project performance indicators include a minimum production of 40 kg H2 per hour, mine-water consumption of 13 m3 per 1,000 kg H2, and demonstrator operation for at least 2 buses currently being developed using fuel cell and H2 internal combustion technologies. The paper discusses how the project addresses typical mine-closure challenges and proposes a transferable ‘mine-to-hydrogen’ redevelopment model. KEYWORDS Business models for post-mining, revitalisation, mine water, green hydrogen, circular economy 1. INTRODUCTION The closure of coal mines creates both legacy burdens and, simultaneously, a portfolio of assets that can be repurposed for regional revitalisation (Frejowski, Bondaruk, & Duda, 2021; Siksnelyte-Butkiene et al., 2020). In coal regions in transition, redevelopment options are expected to deliver more than environmental remediation: they must also create new economic activity, retain skills, and support decarbonisation trajectories that are credible to local stakeholders (Bairrão et al., 2023). The MINE-TO-H2 project in Asturias (Spain), conceptually presented in Figure 1, is positioned within this post-mining context by converting land adjacent to a coal mine into a 2.5 MW (scalable to 5 MW) green hydrogen plant that targets the decarbonisation of transport and other hard-to-abate uses, while integrating circular economy practices and the revitalisation of mining areas.
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