Chile has signed an agreement with Europe’s largest port to export green hydrogen

Government of Chile signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Rotterdam authorities -City of the Netherlands- to import and export green hydrogen, The Santiago authorities informed the agency Efe. “This is great news for Chile and the world,” Energy and Mines Minister Juan Carlos Jobet said.

Chile, the world’s largest producer of copper, seeks to become a growing leader in the green hydrogen industry, a sustainable energy source that has been highly regarded in recent years because it only releases water vapor and does not generate gas to greenhouse effect by producing electricity on contact with air.

According to the minister, the port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe and through which 13% of goods imported by the continent enter, “It will be the gateway” for green hydrogen produced in Chile to European markets.

Thus, Jobet stressed, Chile would be “contribute to decarbonizing nations that have the same ambition to be carbon neutral, but which do not have the strategic and natural conditions of Chile to achieve it“.

Chile has advantages for the production of green hydrogen which are based on its geographical position and specific weather conditions: its solar and wind power generation, in the northern desert and with the strong winds from the south of the country, respectively. These elements are a key that could position it as one of the biggest exporters of this clean energy source in the future.

The signing of the agreement is a new step in the national green hydrogen strategy implemented by Chile, which includes phases to consolidate local consumption and then make the leap to export.

Located in the Netherlands, the Port of Rotterdam, which until 2004 was the world’s busiest pier, later overtaken by Shanghai and Singapore, works with more than 3,000 trading companies in importing fuels and other materials, both to maintain its functioning as well as for consumption in other parts of the continent.

According to the CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, Allard Castelein, the agreement “allows us to take important steps towards achieving our ambitions as a hydrogen hub for North-Eastern Europe“.

At this point, as explained by the Chilean authorities, the parties will now work on ways to allow hydrogen trade corridors between Chile and Europe.

Asian markets

The agreement with the port of Rotterdam joins the agreement already signed between the Ministry of Energy of Singapore and Chile in early March, with a view to studying the possibilities of opening green routes for the export of hydrogen to Asian markets.

Jobet stressed that these two international agreements will be essential for the Andean country. “This sets an important precedent for us to reach markets around the world,” Jobet concluded.

With information from Efe

KEEP READING: