RWE Renewables announces 835-MW green H2 project in Chile

RWE Renewables, part of German energy group RWE AG (ETR:RWE), has started developing its first green hydrogen project in Chile, with a plan to install around 835 MW of electrolysis capacity, the company said in a press release it circulated around the country over the weekend.

The project has been given the name Vientos Magallanicos, or the Winds of Magallanes, and will be accompanied by about 1 GW of wind farms to power the electrolysis process. RWE’s goal for the project is to produce some 475,000 tonnes of ammonia annually for exports to international markets, according to the press release.

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The project site is located in the Laguna Blanca commune, in Chile’s southernmost region of Magallanes. RWE said it chose Magallanes after carrying out a “business screening” across the entire country in 2020 in search of suitable locations for green hydrogen development.

In 2021, the company developed a pre-feasibility study of a prototype to understand the entire value chain of this type of projects in the Magallanes region, it said.

The Vientos Magallanicos project is in the very first stages of development. RWE says it is in contact with the regional authorities and the Laguna Blanca mayor and will soon start approaching the local communities.

The company expects the facilities to start operations after 2030.

On top of Vientos Magallanicos, RWE Renewables has a portfolio of 2.8 GW of wind and solar projects to develop in Chile, Alfredo Zanartu Stambuk, country manager for the company, was quoted as saying.