Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (Enap) announced that Germany’s Neuman & Esser will be in charge of building the plant where the state-owned company will produce green hydrogen, projected to start production in 2025.
Enap had already announced the start of its own green hydrogen project at the Cabo Negro complex in Magallanes.
The plant will be powered by the Vientos Patagónicos wind farm ─ of which Enap is a majority partner ─ and will have a capacity of 1 MW (1,000 kW), which will be used for vehicle charging stations and to power the furnace of the fractionation plant in Cabo Negro, among other applications.
With the construction of this plant, Enap expects to generate knowledge and experience in the production and use of this energy in the Magallanes region, as part of its strategy for the development of new fuels.
The German company Neuman & Esser won the bidding process for the project, which includes electrolysis, storage, charging station and a detailed training plan for company workers, among others.
Enap’s general manager, Julio Friedmann, highlighted that “Enap will be the first company to produce green hydrogen as a final product in Magallanes, and it is an important step in the objective we have set ourselves of being the most relevant actor to accelerate the energy transition in our country, through the development of a new energy production system that will allow the production of green hydrogen as a final product”.
At the beginning of 2023, Enap signed an agreement with Total Eren, HIF Chile and HNH Energy for the reconfiguration of the Laredo Terminal ─owned by Enap ─, which will enable the first phase of equipment imports for the development of this industry.
In the second half of 2023, Enap announced a mega-project in San Gregorio for the development of a terminal for the import and export of H2v and derivatives in conjunction with Total Eren Chile, FreePower Group, HIF Chile, EDF Group, RWE and HNH Energy, which involves an investment of around US$700 million.
In addition, the state-owned company is conducting several studies for the development of renewable and low-carbon fuels in its refineries, as part of its energy transition plan.
