RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Port of Rotterdam Authority in the Netherlands and Chile’s Ministry of Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), for the import and export of “green” hydrogen, officials in Santiago announced. “This is excellent news for Chile and the world,” said the Minister of Energy and Mining, Juan Carlos Jobet.
Chile, the world’s leading copper producer, seeks to become a growing leader in the green hydrogen industry, a sustainable energy source that in recent years has been highly valued as it only releases water vapor in contact with the air, and does not generate greenhouse gases by producing electricity.
According to the Minister, the Port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe and through which 13% of the goods imported by the continent come in, “will be the gateway” for Chilean green hydrogen to European markets.
As a result, Chile would be “contributing to decarbonizing nations that share our ambition to become carbon neutral, but that do not enjoy Chile’s strategic and natural conditions to achieve it,” Jobet pointed out.
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Chile has advantages for the generation of green hydrogen based on its geographical position and specific climatic conditions: its solar and wind energy production, in the northern desert and with high winds in the south of the country, respectively. These elements are key to positioning the country as a major exporter of this clean energy source in the future.
The signing of the agreement is yet another step in Chile’s national green hydrogen strategy, which involves steps to boost local consumption and then move on to exports.
Located in the Netherlands, the Port of Rotterdam, which until 2004 was the busiest in the world, second only to Shanghai and Singapore, works with over 3,000 trading companies in the import of fuels and other materials, both to sustain its operation and for consumption in other areas of the continent.
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According to Port of Rotterdam CEO Allard Castelein, the agreement “allows us to take important steps toward achieving our ambitions as a hydrogen hub for Northeast Europe.”
At this stage, the parties will now work on ways to enable hydrogen trade routes between Chile and Europe, the Chilean authorities explained.
Asian markets
The Memorandum of Understanding with the Port of Rotterdam complements the agreement already signed between Singapore’s Ministry of Energy and Chile in early March, with the aim of studying the potential for opening green hydrogen export routes to Asian markets.
Jobet stressed that these two international agreements will be key for the Andean country. “It sets an important precedent for us to reach markets around the world,” Jobet concluded.
Source: infobae