Brazil’s Ceará builds hub to produce and export green hydrogen

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The state of Ceará is designing a hub with the capacity to produce at least 500,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, equivalent to around 2.5 million tons of green ammonia, and export to Europe on a shipping route from the Port of Pecém to its trading partner, the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The state government sees green hydrogen (H2V) as the fuel for the future. To be considered ‘green,’ the product must be obtained through renewable sources, such as wind or solar power. It cannot generate greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, even during its use.

Named the Ceará Green Hydrogen Hub, the space installed in the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP) was launched this year in partnership with the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and the Federation of Industries of Ceará (FIEC). The goal is to seek new investments, expand business opportunities, and create jobs in the state.

So far, 18 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with Brazilian and foreign companies to implement projects in the hub.

GREEN HYDROGEN

The use of green hydrogen ranges from cars to industries. “There is the possibility of having vehicles fueled with hydrogen, heating households and even using it in industries currently powered by coal,” explained UFC Technological Park professor Fernando Melo Nunes, who coordinates the team of academy researchers involved in the project.

Nunes explained hydrogen production is mainly carried out by electrolysis, which removes the element from water. “Energy is consumed to separate hydrogen from oxygen, in the form of water, in this electrolysis process. For it to be ‘green,’ wind and solar power are mainly used. In Ceará, both are very abundant,” explained Nunes.

Water, however, is a scarce resource in the state. “Therefore, the idea is to use desalination or reuse water; the latter can be treated sewage water,” added the professor.

With respect to transporting the obtained hydrogen, Nunes says it is possible through its gaseous, liquefied form or by converting the element into ammonia. The first and second forms are less used, and the expectation is for the product from Ceará to be transported in the form of ammonia.

The professor explains the requirements of Energias de Portugal (EDP), the group controlling the Port of Pecém, is for 20% of hydrogen production to be used internally. “The university has been researching hydrogen for a long time. Only now has it been seen that being green, that is, made without carbon and without generating carbon, is the factor that will decarbonize the planet. By 2030, Europe wants no more hydrocarbon-powered cars to be produced,” he said.

Companies confirmed in the project must use energy in the production process that corresponds to Brazilian consumption over a year. “Together, they can reach 17 gigawatts, very close to Brazilian consumption. They will not produce all that from the beginning, of course, but each plant should have the potential to have 2 to 3 gigawatts. The most advanced companies are Engie and Fortescue,” said Nunes, mentioning the Brazilian and Australian companies.

The researcher recalls to generate this energy volume; companies can resort to options such as generating wind power at sea and placing photovoltaic plants in water reservoirs. “There is even an experience like this in Sobradinho [in the state of Bahia], with floating solar plates. And that increases yield. These are solutions to improve the environment and the world,” he concluded.