QUINTERO BAY, 19 AUGUST 2021. GNL Quintero, ACCIONA Energía and Enagás have formed a partnership for the construction of an electrolysis plant on Quintero Bay to produce green hydrogen from water (H2O), using renewable electricity. The “Green Hydrogen Quintero Bay” project seeks to provide a clean and sustainable energy alternative, contributing to the decarbonization of Chile’s energy matrix and the environmental recovery of the Puchuncaví and Quintero municipal districts in the Valparaíso Region.

The plant will be located in the GNL Quintero regasification terminal. With a nominal power of 10 MW, it will initially produce around 500 t/year, which will gradually increase depending on demand for green hydrogen in the area. The project envisages an estimated investment of 30 million dollars.

Green hydrogen is produced through an electrolysis process, which separates water molecules into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) molecules, using electricity from 100% renewable sources. This guarantees that the fuel is produced without generating emissions, making it an inexhaustible, clean and sustainable energy resource, which will be available to contribute to the decarbonization of Chile’s energy matrix. In this, the project will be drawing on ACCIONA Energía’s extensive experience in generating solar and wind energy in Chile.

Uses of the green hydrogen produced include the replacement of other fuels (coal, diesel, etc.) in numerous industrial and mining processes and in ports, either alone or blended with natural gas, as well as, for example, in transportation applications. In the future, it could be injected into natural gas distribution networks for industrial or residential consumption in different parts of the country.

Referring to the project, the General Manager of GNL Quintero, Antonio Bacigalupo, pointed out that, “GNL Quintero arose as a country project to contribute to Chile’s energy security, which has been achieved in the very diverse energy stress scenarios that the country has faced over the last 12 years. Today, to address the challenge of decarbonizing the energy matrix, we are putting our experience with LNG and operational knowledge at the service of this new Green Hydrogen project for central Chile. GNL Quintero’s operation is recognized for its commitment to sustainability and its high environmental and community development standards, and we believe that this initiative offers Quintero and Puchuncaví an opportunity to advance in solving the area’s environmental challenges so that the Quintero Bay can continue to contribute to the country’s development from a sustainable perspective.”

José Ignacio Escobar, Director General for South America at ACCIONA Energía, indicated that, “We are very enthusiastic about the joint work we are undertaking through this project. We have the necessary strengths to make this project the spearhead of the development of green hydrogen production in Chile to which we will contribute our international experience in the production of sustainable energy and the development of resilient infrastructure.”

José Antonio de las Heras, Country Manager Chile at Enagás, noted that, “This project means taking a further step in our commitment to renewable gases (green hydrogen and biomethane) as an energy vector of the future and enables us to take advantage of our experience as an infrastructure company. We are convinced that Chile has unique competitive factors that will allow it to play a key role in the development of green hydrogen, so we are committed to the project to the maximum.”

GNL Quintero, ACCIONA Energía and Enagás have joined forces to implement the “Green Hydrogen Quintero Bay” project in order to put their experience in the production of clean fuels and the operation of energy infrastructure at the country’s disposal and, in this way, support this market’s development in line with Chile’s National Green Hydrogen Strategy. Their aim is to facilitate the availability of this new fuel’s benefits and the development of an industry to position the country as an international leader in the production of this clean fuel.

International experience.
Internationally, ACCIONA Energía and Enagás are building Spain’s first green hydrogen plant in the Balearic Islands. The “Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca” project aims to deploy the necessary infrastructure for the development of a renewable hydrogen ecosystem in Mallorca and has received 10 million euros in funding from the European Commission’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU).

The “Green Hysland” project will generate, distribute and use at least 300 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year in Mallorca, reducing the island’s annual CO2 emissions by up to 20,700 tons. As well as having European funding, the initiative comprises 30 partners from 11 countries: nine from the European Union, Chile and Morocco. Chile’s participation in this project is being channeled through the H2 Chile Association in order to foster the transfer of technology to Chile from projects that are already being implemented.