Green Hydrogen: Río Negro and its potential as a producer on the European agenda

The German H2Global Program aims to finance, develop and promote scale production areas of green hydrogen and derivatives such as green ammonia and methanol, as well as a supply market, thus responding to the energy crisis from green technologies.

Currently, the German government's energy paradigm considers green hydrogen as the key to transform economies. It is estimated that in the near future Germany, a leader in the field, together with the countries that make up the European Union, will need a large amount of green hydrogen for industrial consumption. Therefore, the H2Global program is the tool for the development of the international market of the hydrogen economy, establishing value and supply chains even outside that country's borders.

Within this framework, the director of RN Invierte, Gonzalo Medina Cabrera, together with the Climate and Energy Cooperation Division, which belongs to the BMWK, worked on the concepts and scope of the program. It also aims to carry out an international survey to ensure that the design of financing areas is based on a comprehensive and well-informed understanding of the potential short-term availability, transport and demand for green hydrogen and derivatives.

During 2021 and early 2022, Rio Negro achieved the creation of the Sierra Grande Free Trade Zone, a measure that is part of the series of actions aimed at promoting the region, facilitating the development of the Green Hydrogen production and export plan.

Furthermore, in this favorable and advanced context, the Australian company Fortescue Future Industries presented its investment project for H2V production in Punta Colorada, highlighting the importance of production and demand worldwide, and the role of our province within this value chain.

On the other hand, RN Invierte together with other departments of the executive branch of the province are currently designing the structuring of other investments related to this ecological fuel within the framework of the national and international advances in this field described above.

It is important to emphasize that the province once again takes a step forward in its consolidation as a future producer of Green Hydrogen. The participation in this initial stage of the H2Global program shows the current energy transition, as well as a new role and productive potential that Río Negro occupies at world level, in terms of green technologies.