IIC is the safe choice
A device certified to group IIB would be excluded from a hydrogen area. The IS-04Z1 marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, so that choice does not need revisiting if a methane site becomes a hydrogen site.
Portugal · Hydrogen, LNG and the Sines Estate
Explosion proof mobile phone for Hydrogen, LNG and the Sines Estate in Portugal
Sines is where Portugal's LNG arrives, where its largest green hydrogen projects are being built and where new industrial land is being let, which makes it a busy place for an explosion proof mobile phone. This page is for project and operations teams across the estate. The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, with certification in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification programme in progress
Local approvalATEXATEX 2014/34/EU · Decreto-Lei 111-C/2017 · in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The sector · Sines
Explosion proof mobile phone in Portugal: the Sines estate
The port, the ZILS industrial and logistics zone and the surrounding plants form one of Portugal's densest energy sites. The LNG terminal receives carriers at a single jetty; see explosion proof phone for REN Atlântico. Galp is installing a 100 MW electrolyser at its refinery, which press reports say is due to enter operation in the second half of 2026; see explosion proof phone for Galp. A separate 10 MW electrolyser at the port was awarded to RCT Hydrogen under the Green Hydrogen Sines project. Alongside them sit the Repsol polymers plants and a planned large data campus, so the estate mixes methane, hydrogen, diesel and battery rooms.
Players and projects
- REN Atlântico
- LNG terminal operator, with three tanks and one jetty.
- Galp
- Refinery and its 100 MW electrolyser project.
- Repsol Polímeros
- Polymer complex with new plants; see explosion proof phone for Repsol Polímeros.
- Green Hydrogen Sines
- 10 MW electrolyser project at the port, reported as awarded to RCT Hydrogen.
- aicep Global Parques
- Manages ZILS and lets land to industrial and energy developers.
- Data campus developers
- A 1.2 GW campus is planned at ZILS, with generators and batteries.
Classified situations
- LNG jetty and tanks
- Methane, group IIA, in very large storage and transfer systems.
- Electrolyser halls
- Hydrogen, group IIC, with compression and storage nearby.
- Hydrogen storage and trailers
- Gas cylinder bundles and tube trailers at loading points.
- Fuel and diesel stores
- Back-up generator fuel for large digital and industrial users.
- Battery energy storage
- Gas release from lithium cells during a fault, handled case by case.
- Port liquid bulk berths
- Petroleum and chemical products at jetties and pipelines.
Built for local conditions
What a new energy hub does to a handset
New plants mean new classified areas, small commissioning teams and very little local history of which devices work. Group choice matters more than usual.
Commissioning with small crews
A new electrolyser or terminal extension is commissioned by a handful of specialists from several vendors. A managed handset, enrolled once, gives them the permit, the P and ID drawings and a call list on a single device.
Exposed ground and wind
Sines is an open coastal site. IP68 sealing and four-constellation GNSS are suited to wind, rain and large distances, and the 4,000 mAh battery covers a shift.
Evidence for the file
New plants write their explosion protection documents from scratch. Receiving the marking string, gas group and temperature class early lets engineers record the handset in the first issue.
Use cases
Where the IS-04Z1 would be used at Sines
Hydrogen01
Electrolyser hall commissioning
Cell stacks, dryers and compressors are brought into service in stages. Commissioning staff photograph, log and call in from inside a group IIC area.
LNG02
Jetty and tank inspections
Terminal staff and surveyors work across a large open site under permit. A managed handset holds the permit, logs the round and reports position.
Estate services03
Contractors moving between plants
Fire teams, electricians and inspectors visit several operators in one shift. One handset that each operator can review reduces the mixed-phone problem at the gates.
Approvals and access
What operators and developers will ask for
Each operator at Sines applies its own contractor and equipment approval, and we have not verified a shared programme. Ask each site's procurement and HSE teams what documents, induction and testing they require. For the refinery and polymer sites see explosion proof phone for refining, polymers and fuels; the main product documents are the ATEX certificate, the marking, the temperature class and a servicing statement.
Press reports about project timings are not confirmed here, and teams should check dates with the project owners. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet, so nothing is supplied for use in a classified area until it exists.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Why choose group IIC rather than IIB for a hydrogen site?
Hydrogen has a very low minimum ignition energy and is placed in group IIC. Equipment certified for IIB cannot be used in a hydrogen atmosphere, so IIC is the only workable choice.
Does a data centre need an explosion proof mobile phone?
Mostly no. Data halls are not classified in the usual way. The classified spots are fuel stores, some battery rooms and any hydrogen systems, so only those staff would need an Ex device.
Are the Sines hydrogen projects confirmed to start in 2026?
We cannot confirm dates. The statement that the Galp electrolyser should enter operation in the second half of 2026 comes from press reports, so check it with the project owner.
Enquiry · Hydrogen, LNG and the Sines Estate
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Hydrogen, LNG and the Sines Estate, Portugal
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Portugal. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · Hydrogen, LNG and the Sines Estate
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.