According to the Port of Rotterdam and the government of the European nation, Chile is a significant potential partner in green hydrogen for Dutch authorities and private sector companies.
The potential for Chile to produce hydrogen is “undisputed” throughout the world, according to Erik van der Heijden, business manager at the Port of Rotterdam, and both the government and corporate sector are aiming to create a “trade corridor” between their two countries. Early in November, he said, a delegation made up of members from the government and industry will travel there.
Due to a steep decline in gas output over the past ten years, the Netherlands’ green hydrogen policy calls for increasing local demand for and production of the fuel as well as converting existing natural gas infrastructure to hydrogen.
Van der Heijden stated in a webinar hosted by the Chilean-Dutch Chamber of Commerce that the Port of Rotterdam has set a goal to consume 4.6Mt/y of green fuel by 2030, with 4Mt/y projected to come from imports, where Chile might become a key off-taker. He added the first molecules will be required starting in 2024, and imports will only increase as more businesses embrace hydrogen after that.
Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Antwerp-Bruges are just a few of the European ports with which Chile has green hydrogen MOUs. The nation’s local green hydrogen development strategy, published in 2020, includes finding off-takers.
Beginning in 2030, the strategy seeks to position the nation as a major supplier of green hydrogen and its derivatives. The International Energy Agency claims that if Chile’s potential is realized, hydrogen produced there using wind and solar energy might rank among the cheapest in the world, along with that produced in India and South Africa.
