The Legislature of Río Negro approved unanimously on Wednesday the project for the installation of a green hydrogen plant by the Australian company Fortescue, as well as the creation of a Free Trade Zone in the locality of Sierra Grande, according to legislative sources.
During the debate, outside the building there were demonstrations of support by workers from the Uocra union.
In November last year, the Australian company announced a mega-investment of $ 8,400 million in the province, which could generate more than 50,000 jobs.
The vice-governor and president of the Legislature of the Province of Río Negro, Alejandro Palmieri, said that “it was a very constructive and productive debate, with different points of view, but it seems to me that the important thing is to highlight the consensus and to leave differences behind when there is a common objective”.
“As is the development of the province, the generation of employment, and attracting investments to a Rio Negro that we all want to grow and develop,” said the vice-governor.
Referring to the private capital initiative, the official said that green hydrogen “is a topic we have been talking about for two years” and the production of this environmentally friendly fuel “will put Rio Negro and Argentina on the path of innovation worldwide”.
This Wednesday’s session also created the Entity for the Promotion and Control of the Production and Export Complex of the Río Negro Free Trade Zone “Punta Colorada Corporation”.
Regarding the free zone, Palmieri pointed out that through this territorial figure “we will seek to attract investments, promote production and mainly exports, and for this purpose a wide framework of customs benefits is generated” as regards national taxes.
