During his visit to Chile, Olivier Becht, the Delegate Minister of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness, and French Abroad, held a bilateral meeting with Diego Pardow, the Minister of Energy, to discuss common challenges in the energy transition process and the involvement of French companies in the green hydrogen industry.
Following the meeting, both ministers signed a joint declaration to establish a bilateral working group on low-carbon hydrogen. This initiative was proposed by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Gabriel Boric during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2022. The working group builds upon the previous joint declaration on green hydrogen signed by both nations on June 30, 2021.
As part of the agreements reached, the French government expressed its willingness to provide an international technical expert specialized in low-carbon hydrogen and its applications in transportation to support the Chilean Ministry of Energy. This expert will join the bilateral working group, which is set to commence its activities in the second half of 2023.
Minister Olivier Becht expressed gratitude to the Chilean government for their cooperation on green hydrogen and the decarbonization of their economies. He emphasized that the working group strengthens the technical and political collaboration between Chile and France, aligning with their shared ambitions in environmental protection and the development of decarbonized energy sources.
Minister Diego Pardow welcomed the signing of the joint declaration, highlighting the vital role of green hydrogen in Chile’s journey toward carbon neutrality by 2050, as mandated by their Framework Law on Climate Change. He acknowledged France as a strategic partner in achieving this objective. Pardow mentioned that the Chilean government is working on an Action Plan to understand the requirements of companies and communities for the harmonious development of the green hydrogen industry in the country.
French energy companies operating in Chile, including Engie, EDF, and Total, are already actively working on the decarbonization of their operations and have ambitious projects in green hydrogen production. Notably, Total EREN has invested $20 billion in the Magallanes region, while Air Liquide and Engie have projects in Antofagasta, supported by Corfo, Chile’s economic development agency.
