The project is managed by the Corporation for Social Development of the Rural Sector (Codesser), and co-executed on the technical side by the CES 4.0 project of the University of Talca. During its launching, at the Universidad Autónoma de Temuco, the seremi of Energy Camilo Villagrán indicated that “we want to develop, generate and produce hydrogen in its derivatives, but with a focus on local demand. And as our region is deeply agricultural and forestry, we want to focus on those uses in order to decarbonize our productive sector and also generate a greater number of jobs and sustainable jobs”.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Figueroa, regional director of Corfo La Araucanía, said that this project “was born as a way to advance and support the work we have been developing together in a Green Hydrogen Roundtable in Araucanía, where we are participating from public institutions, academia and the private sector, to move forward in promoting and advancing the energy transition in Araucanía with a focus on productive development”.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from different countries collaborates and provides the international perspective and experience for the successful development of this project in Araucanía, in charge of the Circular Economy and Sustainability 4.0 Initiative (CES 4.0) of the University of Talca.

In addition, this project has the participation of PhD Rene Bañares-Alcantara, academic and researcher at Oxford University, UK, who presented on the challenges in the production and use of green hydrogen and ammonia. “It is a very interesting issue precisely because of agroforestry applications. Ammonia, even before being used as a marine fuel, I think should be used as a fertilizer. Reading recently that in Latin America 95% of fertilizers are imported. In the case of Chile, I understand that there are not enough fossil fuels, which makes fertilizer production very expensive. And hydrogen and green ammonia can be produced with air, water, sun and wind, basically other renewable energies,” said Dr. Bañares-Alcantara.

Source: Ministry of Energy.