Ministers, local and foreign dignitaries, and representatives from the private sector attended the opening of the e-fuels plant Haru Oni in Chile’s far south Magallanes region. It was hailed as a historic moment in the fight against climate change and the growth of Chile’s fledgling green hydrogen industry.
The factory was constructed in collaboration with companies including the state hydrocarbons business Enap, the oil giant ExxonMobil, and the manufacturer and off-taker Porsche. It cost about US$100 million, including private investment and government subsidies from Chile and Germany.
The power generation and production facility in Punta Arenas, which is co-owned by an Enel subsidiary in Chile, is the first of its kind in the world and will initially produce 130,000 l/y of e-gasoline. By 2027, production is anticipated to increase to 550Ml/y.
The project served to illustrate the value of project development ecosystems by turning an R&D department concept into a functional prototype.
The fuel can be utilized in gasoline engines without needing to be modified, and Porsche will be the first to employ it.
Engineers at Haru Oni are producing e-gasoline from e-methanol, which is created from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere. They are doing this by using a 1.2 MW Siemens Energy electrolyzer, technology licensed from ExxonMobil, and clean energy from a 3.5 MW wind turbine.
Due to the “tremendous, high-quality” wind power resources in Brazil and Chile, Siemens Energy is involved in comparable energy transformation projects there, Clark added.
The company is working on projects in Chile in partnership with other businesses, mostly in the Magallanes region.
Around 36 green hydrogen projects are being built in Chile, with some of the biggest ones being in Magallanes, which is positioned to become a major green energy hub thanks to its enormous natural resources. Planning for your territory, developing your talents, and obtaining permits are all difficult tasks.
service for environmental evaluation Government productivity and investment promotion activities are reviewing SEA, which is now processing more projects than it was intended to.
