The project development will be accelerated with project leader Statkraft Chile receiving co-financing from the Chilean Agency for International Development Cooperation (AGCID) with the project set to support the governments hydrogen strategy.
Read more: 10MW plant to produce 500 tonnes of green hydrogen annually in Chile
Read more: Plans revealed for green hydrogen plant in Chile
It is expected that the financing will contribute to advancing the pre-feasibility study for the green hydrogen and ammonia production as the Pauna Greener Future project looks to support the clean energy transition in Chile.
Statkraft Chile has already indicated that the studies already conducted have concluded that the Pauna solar plant has the necessary characteristics to become a Power to X project.
This will see the production and injection of renewable electricity into the national grid as well as the production and distribution of hydrogen for the mining sector whereas the ammonia will be exported to the rest of the world at competitive prices.
María Teresa González, General Manager of Statkraft Chile, said,“At Statkraft we firmly believe that renewable energies are the solution to combat and curb the rise in the planet’s temperature.
“They are not part of the solution, they are the solution. And for this reason, this type of initiative that promotes research and progress in green hydrogen from renewable sources takes on greater relevance.”
Hydrogen in Chile: An interview with Hinicio
In 2019, Chile exported $33bn worth of copper, maintaining its position as the world’s largest producer of the red metal. New milling technology, economic reforms and increasing investment attractiveness were catalysts that turned Chile into the copper powerhouse it is today.
But copper mining is a very energy intensive industry, and so less than a decade ago Chile began a drive towards renewable energies to power its sector. Since it embarked down the green technology route, Chile has pushed the cost of producing solar power down 80%.
So, where does hydrogen fit into all of this? Continuing with its push towards renewables, Chile wants to turn its solar boom into a hydrogen economy – and unlike solar and wind energy, hydrogen can be produced day or night in any weather conditions.
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