In the South American state of Chile, a consortium of oil companies and leading utilities are considering the purchase of a proposed integrated renewables hydrogen factory. Other potential investors come from abroad, namely AustriaEnergy and Ökowind EE, who are encouraged by the interest shown by potential domestic off-takers including oil companies and utilities.

The proposed installation could have between 1.8 GW and 2 GW of onshore wind plus a 1.4 GW capacity electrolyser. It will employ the Haber-Bosch process to produce millions of tonnes of hydrogen and ammonia by 2026 when it will be fully operational.

For ship owners, fertiliser plants and power stations, the availability of affordable green fuels and feedstocks would enable Chile to end the usage of hydrocarbons.

This potential investment follows the ongoing worldwide trend by investors to develop gigawatt plus projects, to gain massive economies of scale in the production of both green hydrogen and green ammonia. Already, there are 20+ such schemes at various stages of development worldwide.

However, according to Helmut Kantner, managing director and founder of AustriaEnergy, currently, “there is more interest in the projects ammonia, than in its hydrogen output.” This is due to the fact that there is already an established worldwide distribution network for ammonia.