(Santiago/Chile) – Chile aims to develop five gigawatts of electrolysis capacity by 2025, produce the world's cheapest green hydrogen by 2030 and be among the world's top three exporters by 2040. To achieve these goals, the Chilean government has developed a National Hydrogen Strategy. This should make the country “a world leader in green hydrogen,” said President Sebastián Piñera and Energy Minister Juan Carlos Jobet at the opening of the international conference Chile 2020: Green Hydrogen Summit.
“Reactivate” the economy with hydrogen
At the digital event, President Piñera emphasized that “hydrogen allows us to achieve constant development throughout the country,” creating an engine for progress and economic reactivation. Energy Minister Jobet expects the use of green hydrogen to lead to 20 new jobs and $100.000 billion in investments over the next 200 years. “This new industry could become as important to the national economy as the mining industry” and will help Chile become a zero-emissions country by 2050.
Position Chile internationally
A financing round will raise $50 million for green hydrogen projects to help investors gain initial experience. At the same time, a task force will be set up to guide the approval processes and the implementation of pilot projects for green hydrogen and its derivatives. Another task force will be created to position Chile internationally and to establish three consortia with a generation capacity of one gigawatt each.
Increase demand
In addition, it is being examined whether quotas can be used to increase demand for this energy source, in the same way as the promotion of renewable energies. Green hydrogen will also be taken into account in design and planning processes in the future. A working group is intended to help accelerate the introduction of green hydrogen among state-owned companies and their suppliers.
Tax carbon
A “public-private roundtable” will discuss carbon pricing and taxation. The Ministry of Energy wants to help eliminate planning obstacles and set security standards. Other key aspects of the strategy include training and knowledge transfer to meet the workforce needs of the new industry, as well as ensuring collaboration with communities and local stakeholders.
A number of studies, including those by the International Energy Agency and McKinsey & Company, showed "that Chile would be able to produce the world's most competitive green hydrogen on a large scale due to its enormous wealth of renewable energy," emphasized Jobet. “Our country is the ideal place to produce and export green hydrogen and its derivatives, including ammonia, methanol and synthetic fuels.”
deep link
https://www.gob.cl/en/news/chilean-government-presents-national-strategy-convert-chile-global-leader-green-hydrogen/
National Hydrogen Strategy of Chile (English)
https://energia.gob.cl/sites/default/files/national_green_hydrogen_strategy_-_chile.pdf
Photos
Solar power for hydrogen production: In October, Enel Green Power announced the construction of a first pilot plant to produce green hydrogen in Cabo Negro, Chile/ © Enel Green Power
