Fundación Chile and VTT Will Work Together on Green Hydrogen Technology Center in Chile
This initiative was one of the priorities identified by the regional Roadmap, in which all local actors participated and agreed that this infrastructure is key to addressing the environmental, social, and technological challenges that this new industry poses in the Magallanes Region.
The Chilean economic development agency, known as CORFO, has announced that Fundación Chile will lead the creation of the Green Hydrogen Technology Center in southern Chile. This ambitious project focuses on equipping the region with the infrastructure, technological capacities, and skilled workforce needed to support the growth of the green hydrogen industry and its supply chain.
The selected project was presented by Fundación Chile and has the Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD (VTT), HUB FPYME Magallanes, the University of Chile, Adolfo Ibáñez University, and the Chilean Energy Sustainability Agency as co-implementers. It also includes ENAP, HNH ENERGY, HIF, EDELMAG, Consorcio Austral, EDF, and TEG CHILE as associate partners.
The Minister of Economy, Development, and Tourism, Nicolás Grau, stated that “making Magallanes a sustainable industrial hub for green hydrogen requires development on multiple fronts. We have made progress in capacity building, promoting local suppliers, and encouraging shared infrastructure. To strengthen the ecosystem, today we are announcing the awarding of the Green Hydrogen Technology Center for Magallanes, with CLP 6 billion to address the industry’s challenges in the region. Through Corfo, the DPS Program will create this center aimed at addressing the industry’s challenges, training specialized professionals, and promoting local applications that enable the use of green hydrogen and its derivatives.”
This Center will make it possible to adapt technological solutions and services to the specific conditions of the region in a collaborative working environment with companies, training centers, and local universities, as well as through collaboration links with international technology centers. In addition, it will have the mission of encouraging and accelerating the adoption and development of products and services based on R&D&I, through technology test beds, pilots, scaling, and the training of specialized human capital, in order to respond to the needs of the new industry.
The initiative is part of the Sustainable Productive Development Program (DPS), led by the Ministry of Economy and financed by Corfo, and is also part of the so-called Magallanes Pact, a public-private agreement for the sustainable development of the green hydrogen industry in the Magallanes Region. Through this agreement, the central Government and the Regional Government of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica have established mutual commitments with green hydrogen project developers in the region, with the purpose of promoting local job creation, linkages with national companies, the efficient use of infrastructure, and technological development. This last component specifically commits to the creation and operation of the center, as well as a plan to foster local demand in order to encourage the consumption of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
“Corfo has committed significant resources through different instruments for the development of the green hydrogen and derivatives industry, such as the implementation of production and demand projects, the manufacturing and/or assembly of electrolyzers in Chile or manufacturing in enabling sectors for this industry, the development of innovative technologies, and the creation of human capacities. These incentives go directly to the private sector so that it can become involved in the creation of local value chains in this industry,” explained Hugo Arias, Strategic Affairs Manager at Corfo.
For his part, Fernando Hentzschel, Technology Capabilities Manager at Corfo, added that “we hope that, through the installation of this type of capacity in the Magallanes Region, this new Center will be able to bring together more local and national actors to develop its activities, establishing a standard for how to integrate the different actors of an industry around the responsible incorporation of the industry into the region and its gradual growth, addressing environmental and social challenges together with sustainable practices that benefit communities.”
Meanwhile, Hernán Araneda, General Manager of Fundación Chile, valued the awarding of the Center, which is aligned with the institution’s mission to contribute to Chile’s sustainable development through high-impact technological innovations, together with companies, technology partners, and support from the public sector. He stated that “the Center represents an extraordinary opportunity, as it has the strong support of the pioneering companies in the development of green hydrogen in Chile, as well as partners from Finland, a leading country in sustainable development. The Regional Government of Magallanes and Regional Corfo have a clear roadmap, and it is an honor for us to support the region, its institutions, and its people in this pioneering effort.”
The Magallanes Green Hydrogen Center will focus its work on challenges related to project development, with an emphasis on adaptation to the region’s specific conditions; enabling activities for projects and future operations, especially strengthening the regional value chain, such as supplier development and human capital; and addressing environmental and social challenges, with a focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental monitoring, biodiversity protection, and others.
