Chile’s green hydrogen tender draws 10 projects

Chile is now reviewing 10 green hydrogen projects in a tender for a total of US$50 million in funding, which is targeted at speeding up the country’s journey towards greener and more sustainable infrastructure systems as it looks to leave fossil fuels behind.

Firms within the EU constitute a major chunk of the competitors bidding process, signifying a climate push in Brussels. 

The firms that pitched projects to Chile’s development agency Corfo include France’s Air Liquide; Chilean steelmaker CAP; Copenhagen Infrastructure Energy Transition Fund I K/S; Italy’s Enel Green Power Chile; France’s Engie; Spanish-Enagas-controlled GNL Quintero; Chile’s Imelsa Energia; Germany’s Linde; France’s Hydrogène de France; and Sociedad de Inversiones Albatros.

With results expected to be announced in December when two winners will be picked, the tender plans to award a maximum of US$30 million to at least one project. 

Eligible projects are required to have at least 10MW of electrolyzer capacity and start operating no later than December 2025.

“The government has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The decarbonization drive was recently dealt a setback when two coal-fired power plants were brought back on line to cope with the effects of severe drought on hydroelectric supplies,” a local media site reported.