The Ministry of Energy of Chile, the European Commission, represented by the Delegation of the European Union to Chile, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) today signed a Joint Statement of Intent to continue their cooperation on renewable hydrogen, alternative clean fuels and Power-to-X (PtX).
The statement was signed by the Minister of Energy, Ximena Rincón; the Ambassador of the European Union to Chile, Claudia Gintersdorfer; and the Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMWE, Stefan Rouenhoff. In it, the parties highlight the strategic importance of hydrogen, alternative clean fuels and PtX for Chile’s energy transition, sustainable economic development and the creation of resilient value chains between Chile and Europe, including Germany. They also express their intention to further strengthen their cooperation through a new joint action, Team Europe for Renewable Hydrogen and Power-to-X Market Development and Investment Mobilisation in Chile, on which the three partners are currently working.
Between 2023 and 2026, the first phase of the Team Europe Initiative Renewable Hydrogen for Chile (RH2) supported the development of enabling conditions for the renewable hydrogen industry in Chile. It was co-financed by the European Union and the Government of Germany and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
On environmental matters, RH2 supported the modernisation of Chile’s Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) with geospatial tools and guidelines for assessing renewable hydrogen projects. It also provided financial advisory services to large-scale hydrogen and green ammonia projects, and contributed to the Chilean Taxonomy and to the design of a certification system compatible with European standards.
These efforts were complemented by several pilot initiatives: satellite monitoring of peatlands in Magallanes using data from the EU’s Copernicus programme, clean mobility trials in Santiago’s RED public transport system, and renewable energy solutions in Antarctica.
The new joint action aims to build on these foundations and bring projects to the investment stage. To this end, the partners will consider providing technical assistance, capacity development and project development support, strengthening the ability of public and private stakeholders in Chile to structure, finance and scale renewable hydrogen and PtX projects. It will also seek to foster technology and know-how transfer, investment readiness, market access and cooperation between Chilean, European and especially German stakeholders, including European and German companies active in Chile.
The Minister of Energy, Ximena Rincón, said: “Chile has exceptional conditions to produce renewable hydrogen and its derivatives, and we are working to turn that potential into projects, investment and jobs in our regions. This second phase comes at just the right time: the country already has solid foundations, and the challenge now is to move into implementation, together with partners who have been with us from the start.”
The Ambassador of the European Union to Chile, Claudia Gintersdorfer, stated: “This signing confirms that the energy relationship between Chile and Europe is a long-term one. What we have built over these years has given us something very valuable: trust between institutions, companies and technical teams on both sides. Building on that trust, we want to move towards concrete investments and value chains that create opportunities in both Chile and Europe.”
The Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMWE, Stefan Rouenhoff, highlighted: “Chile is a highly valued and reliable partner for Germany in Latin America. With its outstanding solar and wind resources, Chile offers excellent conditions for renewable energy, which have been at the heart of our successful Energy Partnership for several years. We now want to take our cooperation on renewable hydrogen to the next stage. Germany will contribute its technological know-how, industrial expertise and innovative technologies to help turn this potential into tangible projects.”
About RH2
The Team Europe Initiative Renewable Hydrogen for Chile (RH2) brings together the Ministry of Energy of Chile, the European Union and its Member States, including Germany as the only co-funding Member State, to support the development of the renewable hydrogen and PtX sector in Chile through technical cooperation.
Source: www.eeas.europa.eu
