Chile is looking to position itself as a world leader in green hydrogen production and has announced a series of projects in the northern and southernmost areas of the country. The initiatives are being promoted by Enel Green Power, Linde, ENGIE, Air Liquide, GNL Quintero and CAP, and will attract US$1 billion in investments.
Chile is making steady progress towards efforts to position itself as a global leader in renewable energy, with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The country is drawing on natural advantages such as having the world’s greatest solar radiation and outstanding wind resources, as well as its local human talent. Green hydrogen will be an important part of this strategy.
Chile will host the fourth Green Hydrogen Summit on January 19. The virtual event will bring together thousands of people around the development of green hydrogen initiatives in Chile and Latin America.
Chile’s Economic Development Agency, CORFO, has selected six proposals in the first call for applications to develop green hydrogen production plants in Chile, with the goal of speeding up the development of these initiatives. The facilities must begin operating by December 2025 at the latest. They will allow Chile to respond to the challenges of climate change, as well as to promote investment in clean energy, job creation and business startup opportunities at the local level.
The successful proposals will attract US$1 billion in investment and aim to produce more than 45,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, which will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 600,000 tons.
The winning projects are listed below:
HyEx – Producción Hidrógeno Verde (Green Hydrogen Production): Led by the French company ENGIE, the project aims to build an industrial-scale pilot plant in Antofagasta to generate 3,200 tons of green hydrogen per year. This green hydrogen will then be supplied to Enaex for green ammonia production, in order to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons per year.
Antofagasta Mining Energy Renewable (AMER): This Air Liquide S.A. initiative, which is also located in the Antofagasta Region, hopes to produce 60,000 tons of ethanol per year using renewable energy, green hydrogen and CO2 captured from a fixed source.
HyPro Aconcagua: The proposal presented by the German firm Linde involves replacing part of the gray hydrogen currently produced in the Aconcagua oil refinery located in the Valparaíso Region, which belongs to the state-owned petroleum company Empresa Nacional de Petróleos (ENAP). The project will generate 3,000 tons of green hydrogen per year.
Hidrógeno Verde Bahía Quintero (Bahía Quintero Green Hydrogen): Led by GNL Quintero S.A., this project includes the development, construction and operation of the first large-scale green hydrogen plant located in central Chile’s Valparaíso Region. The project will produce 430 tons of green hydrogen per year.
H2V CAP: This project involves setting up a green hydrogen plant in the Biobío Region. The plant will produce 1,550 tons of green hydrogen per year and will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 161,000 tons.
Proyecto Faro del Sur (Southern Lighthouse Project): Presented by the Italian company Enel Green Power, this project will produce 25,000 tons of green hydrogen per year in the Magallanes Region. The green hydrogen will be sold to HIF Chile, who will then produce ethanol and e-gasoline for exportation to Europe.
Find out more about Chile’s first green hydrogen project here.
