Water is made up of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule. Through a chemical process called electrolysis, the hydrogen molecule is separated from the water, which is used as fuel. When this process is powered by renewable energy, so-called green hydrogen is produced, a clean, emission-free and environmentally friendly fuel.
Chile has enormous potential for the development of green hydrogen precisely because our country's energy matrix is increasingly renewable, since our territory has the privilege of naturally having a great resource to produce solar and wind energy, such as the Atacama Desert in the north and the winds of our thousands of kilometers of coastline.
Green hydrogen, also known as the "fuel of the future", will play a fundamental role in Chile's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as it is estimated that it could mitigate between 17% and 27% of carbon dioxide emissions by that date, and will allow us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and gas.
According to the Ministry of Energy, the green hydrogen industry in Chile could become a new pole of progress for the country, similar to what the copper industry represents today. The Government is currently working on the National Green Hydrogen Strategy, which will be presented next November. In this way, Chile will become part of a small group of countries that will have a roadmap in this area, which is key to sustainable economic development and in line with respect for the environment.