Government launches website for citizens to participate in the development of the green hydrogen industry

The Magallanes region was chosen to host the fifth session of the Inter-Ministerial Council for the Committee on the Development of the Green Hydrogen Industry, chaired by Energy Minister Diego Pardow. The first objective of the 2023-2030 Action Plan was presented during the meeting. It focuses on promoting the measures and goals of the National Green Hydrogen Strategy, and includes the participation of local communities, civil society organizations, academia and industry. 

Chilean citizens can register on the website www.planhidrogenoverde.cl from Tuesday, December 20 until March 3, 2023, and participate in meetings and participative sessions through June of next year. The committee meeting was held at the Magallanes Regional Governors’ House. It was attended by Energy Minister Diego Pardow, Economy Minister Nicolás Grau, Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Minister Silvia Díaz, Environment Undersecretary Maximiliano Proaño, and CORFO’s Executive Vice-President José Miguel Benavente. 

“What we are looking for with the 2023-2030 Action Plan is not just to have a goal that focuses on gigawatts generated or millions of dollars raised in capital, but that these goals are in agreement with the needs of the people, regions throughout Chile and care for the environment. The Action Plan will consider the needs of all of Chile’s regions and their inhabitants. The decisions made will include decentralization. With this plan, we are putting ourselves at the service of regional development, mainly in Antofagasta and Magallanes,” Energy Minister Diego Pardow commented. 

The attendees discussed various points related to the development of the industry, and provided details of the 2023-2030 Action Plan for the National Green Hydrogen Strategy. The energy minister explained that those who participate in the Action Plan will be able to discuss three areas: investment and institutional structure; sustainability and local value; and infrastructure and territorial organization. 

“This is an Action Plan that we want to build alongside civil society, regional governments, the national government and the large companies behind these projects; a plan that can determine a common vision regarding the design of the industry. This design will include how it will contribute to better salaries and better quality of life in the communities, providing work opportunities and identifying the existing gaps in order to reach the objective,” Economy Minister Nicolás Grau stated. 

Two steps will make the development of Chile’s green hydrogen industry viable. During December of this year, an Advisory Council was formed, and in April 2023 a cross-cutting Strategic Advisory Committee will be established to support the initiative. The first version of the Action Plan will be presented for public consultation in June, and the final document will be published in July. 

Science Minister Silvia Díaz described the launch of the website as a “historic milestone for decentralization.” “The opening of registration for the participative process to the 2023-2030 Action Plan will have a positive impact on people’s lives, and will promote scientific and technological progress throughout Chile. In order to achieve optimal results, we need the coordination of the public sector, the participation of the private sector and the contribution of academia through acquired and situated knowledge. By working together to come up with this plan, we are sure that very good progress will be made on the green hydrogen industry in Chile,” she added. 

“Today marks an important milestone for decentralization with the session held in Magallanes, as well as yesterday’s dialogue with citizens, companies and the regional government. Environmental protection is not an obstacle to development, but rather a condition. We will therefore strongly promote work to formulate public baselines in strategic productive sectors in Magallanes in two main areas: gathering information on marine-land biodiversity; and proposing a long-term monitoring system to generate installed capacities in the region,” Environment Undersecretary Maximiliano Proaño stated. 

CORFO’s Executive Vice-President José Miguel Benavente said that the fifth session of the committee “is being held after two days if intense work in the Magallanes Region. This demonstrates the conviction and commitment to this long-term strategy. It requires making progress in different areas, not only in production, but also in forming human capital and developing public-private coordination. As a priority, it must consider the point of view of the territory: how it will benefit, as well as the tensions that may be generated. This is the signal we wanted to give.”