‘E-fuel’ pilot for Chile

A pilot project in Chile is expected to provide the world’s first integrated, commercial, industrial-scale plant for making synthetic “climate-neutral fuels (e-fuels)”, including hydrogen.

It is backed by Porsche, Siemens Energy and others such as Italian energy firm Enel.

As part of Germany’s national hydrogen strategy, to support the project Siemens Energy will get an eight million euro grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for the ‘Haru Oni’ pilot project in Magallanes Province which uses wind power.

“Establishing a sustainable energy economy is going to require some rethinking,” Siemens Energy chief executive Christian Bruch says.

“Renewable energy will no longer be produced only where it’s needed, but where natural resources like wind and sun are available on a massive scale.

“So new supply chains are going to arise all over the world to carry renewable energy from one region to another,” Bruch adds.

“That’s especially important for Germany, which – bottom-line – has to import energy if it’s going to meet its nationwide demand.

“Hydrogen will come to play an increasingly important role in storing and transporting energy, which is why the German government’s support for the project is an important signal.”

Federal economy minister Peter Altmaier says hydrogen is a key component for successfully carrying out energy transformation in every sector.

About 130,000 litres of e-fuels will be produced as early as 2022, with capacity increasing in two further phases to about 55 million litres annually by 2024 and around 550 million litres by 2026.

Porsche is the primary customer for the green fuel and initially investing 20 million euros, planning to use e-fuels on race-tracks and in vehicle trials with the prospects of e-fuels also powering its production sports car, Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume adding that electromobility is a top priority.

“E-fuels for cars are a worthwhile complement to that – if they’re produced in parts of the world where a surplus of sustainable energy is available – and are an additional element on the road to decarbonisation.

“Their advantages lie in their ease of application – e-fuels can be used in combustion engines and plug-in hybrids and can make use of the existing network of filling stations.”

Siemens Energy is serving as a systems integrator to cover the entire value chain at ‘Haru Oni’ – from power generation using Siemens Gamesa wind turbines to producing green hydrogen, to conversion into synthetic fuel.

Visit www.siemens-energy.com/haru-oni for more information.