Chile Kicks Off Large-Scale Production of e-Fuels

Taking advantage of the renewable energy from the wind, green hydrogen is produced through a process called electrolysis.

The facility also captures CO2 from the atmosphere and applies a synthesis process to combine CO2 and hydrogen to produce eFuels, including Carbon Neutral Gasoline (eGasoline) and Carbon Neutral Liquefied Gas (eLG).

It should be noted that the e-gasoline produced at this plant can be used in any vehicle that runs on common gasoline without the need to make any adaptations.

 

December, 2022.-

The first liters of synthetic gasoline were pumped into the tank of a Porsche,  
one of the partner companies of the project                                                                                                                  

Haru Oni Plant, a HIF Global project (Highly Innovative Fuels) involving major companies such as Porsche, Enel Green Power, Enap, Siemens Energy, Gasco and Exxon Mobile, marked a milestone by producing the first liters of eFuel. Siemens Energy was the project technologist, taking part in the engineering and construction and providing the electrolysis technology. 

Haru Oni, located 44 km North of Punta Arenas, Chile, produced its first liters of synthetic fuels in late December. The reason for choosing this location is based on the amount of wind energy that can be used for the production of green hydrogen. This is approximately 6,000 operating hours per year at full load, which is equivalent to 270 days; a number that is three times the production capacity in Europe. 

"The first synthetic fuels at Haru Oni are a milestone in the fight against climate change, not only for Chile but for the whole world," said Cesar Norton, president and CEO of HIF Global, during the inauguration. "This is everyone's problem, which is why Haru Oni brings together the experience of German, Italian, U.S., Chinese and Chilean companies in the pursuit of a better future."

Prospects

The initial stage of the project (Pilot Plant) will produce a total of 130,000 liters per year in 2023, with the aim of increasing the production to 55 million liters in 2025 and 550 million in 2027. Porsche will be the first buyer of the ecological fuel produced at the Chilean facility. 

“Let's just think that today there are more than 1 billion cars powered by internal combustion engines circulating on the planet, and that they have a long useful life ahead of them. If we want to achieve climate protection goals, we need a solution for this highly polluting park,” explained Javier Pastorino, managing director of Siemens Energy for Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. 

The same is true for other transport sectors, such as aviation and maritime, which will need synthetic fuels for decarbonization, as they are difficult to electrify. South America is becoming a hub for green hydrogen projects thanks to its renewable wind and solar resources. "The macro and microeconomic conditions needed to make them viable are as important as the clarity and stability of the game rules."

On the other hand, Anne-Laure de Chammard, member of the Global Executive Board of Siemens Energy, said: "The objective of the Haru Oni project is to demonstrate that e-Fuels can be commercialized in large quantities and at competitive prices". 

In addition to representatives of all the companies participating in the project, also present at the event were the Minister of Transport of the State of Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Wienfred Hermann; the Chilean Minister of Energy, Diego Pardow; Nicolas Grau, Minister of Economy; Juan Carlos Garcia, Minister of Public Works; Silvia Diaz, Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation; Claudio Radonich, Mayor of Punta Arenas; Jorge Flies, regional Governor and Jose Miguel Benavente, Executive Vice-President of CORFO.