Minister Bento Albuquerque (photo) participated, this Wednesday (04/14), in the 1st Hydrogen Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean - H2LAC 2021. The event, promoted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the New group Energy, brings together government and private sector representatives, and was opened by the Energy Ministers of Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia and Costa Rica.

Bento Albuquerque defended that Brazil and the region are well positioned to become relevant players in hydrogen, both for export and to serve domestic markets and contribute to the decarbonization of the matrices. "As we are a country with a vocation for renewable energy, with 83% of our electric matrix, we have the potential to generate green hydrogen in a highly competitive way", declared the minister.

The minister recalled that hydrogen is not new in Brazil, which has developed specific plans for the fuel for almost twenty years and has specialized laboratories, such as the Hydrogen Research Center of the Itaipu Technological Park. Private groups have invested in research and development in hydrogen in the country, which already has a mapping for hydrogen, which takes into account possible interfaces with the biofuel, natural gas and ammonia programs.

This April, the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) should approve a resolution that establishes a 60-day deadline for the elaboration of the guidelines of the National Hydrogen Program. Last February, a CNPE resolution already determined the allocation of public resources for research and development to hydrogen, among other priority areas. "It is a clear sign that we are looking for the development of our own technological and industrial park in this sector", emphasized the minister.

Bento Albuquerque affirmed that "the objective of Brazil is to dominate the complete technological cycle of hydrogen". "Our goal is the development of technological, industrial and infrastructure capacities, with the generation of quality jobs", he declared.

Private sector partnerships

 The private sector has shown growing interest in the hydrogen sector in Brazil, in particular, green hydrogen, produced from renewable sources. The Australian group Fortescue signed, earlier this year, a memorandum of understanding with Porto do Açu, in Rio de Janeiro, to develop green industrial projects. The project contemplates the possibility of building a green hydrogen plant with a capacity of 300 MW and with the potential to produce 250 tons of green ammonia per year.

The company Enegix and the government of the state of Ceará took the first steps to establish a "green hydrogen hub" at the Port of Pecém. Studies have been announced for what may become the largest green hydrogen enterprise in the world, with investments estimated at US $ 5.4 billion.

"Hydrogen is increasingly on the agenda of our talks with a wide range of international partners, between governments and companies, regardless of the colors of the routes," said the minister. "In Brazil, the objective is to master the complete technological cycle of hydrogen. Our goal is the development of technological, industrial and infrastructure capacities, with the generation of quality jobs.

Bento Albuquerque ended his participation stressing that the success of the global energy transition will depend, in large part, on the implementation of all technologies and viable sources, in order to be able to face the need to comprehensively reduce CO2 emissions. "Green hydrogen is at the center of our attention and has shown great attractiveness, not least because we already have abundant clean and competitive electricity. There is no single technological choice, there is no universal recipe. It is up to each country to identify its competitive advantages and take advantage of it. them to the maximum and, at the same time, contribute to the collective commitment towards a low carbon future ", concluded the minister.