The official delegation headed by the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Omar Paganini, closed this Friday in Germany the first round of contacts and meetings with companies, unions and public and private institutions involved in the development and production of green hydrogen, to whom he presented the H2U Project, the program that provides the framework for one of the policies of the second energy transition promoted by the government.
“The contacts maintained were extremely productive and we found very good receptivity from companies that today are at the forefront at a global level in the development of technology for the production of green hydrogen. There is interest in developing specific projects in the country, both because of the potential that Uruguay offers for the production of energy from renewable sources, as well as because of the attractive legal framework that the country offers and the emphasis that the government is putting on energy policies. decarbonisation -such as electric mobility and the development of green hydrogen- and cleaner production ”, said Minister Paganini at the end of the tour according to a MIEM newsletter.
Accompanied by representatives of Ancap, UTE, Uruguay XXI, aggroup of Uruguayan private entrepreneurs and the Uruguayan ambassador to Germany, Gabriel Bellón, Paganini began the tour on Tuesday, November 2 with a visit to the EUREF Campus, where 150 innovative companies and startups in the fields of energy, sustainability and mobility operate, in addition to the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB).
Later, he toured the Siemens Energy gas turbine manufacturing plant in Berlin, where the German company made a presentation of its activities and its vision on the future development of renewable energies.
On Wednesday, Paganini visited the headquarters of the renewable energy company Enertrag in eastern Germany and toured the facilities of its wind generation control center and the green hydrogen pilot plant. Together with the company authorities, the feasibility of developing projects for the production of green hydrogen and its derivatives in the country, for export purposes, was discussed.
“We are very pleased with the Uruguayan government’s interest in our energy solutions and our goal is to develop a close partnership,” said Enertrag’s Director of International Business, Aram Sandler, at a statement released by the company.
“Our years of experience in producing green hydrogen in Germany and developing large-scale export-oriented projects globally is something we would like to bring to Uruguay,” added Sandler.
In parallel, the business delegation visited the Fraunhofer Institute and was able to receive first-hand information on the technological advances in the sector and the importance of training and research and development on the subject.
On Thursday, Minister Paganini spoke at a working breakfast of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), and later held bilateral meetings with companies linked to the energy sector, development banks, government authorities and international consultancies.
After the transfer from Berlin to Hamburg, the official delegation met with authorities from the ThyssenKrupp business group and its green hydrogen and derivatives division, as well as the global CEO of Siemens Energy. Tim Holt. Then Minister Paganini participated as a speaker and then a panelist in the Energy Economy and Policy Conference of the LAV Forum of Germany and Latin America, where he presented Uruguay’s energy transformation and its commitment to green energy with electric mobility and green hydrogen.
Paganini was accompanied on the panel by the Minister of Energy and Mining of Colombia, Diego Mesa, and the director of the Fuels and New Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy of Chile, Max Correa.
Also in Hamburg, the MIEM technical team held a working meeting with the H2Global Foundation – an initiative foreseen in the German Hydrogen Strategy that seeks to establish financing and subsidy mechanisms for the production of green hydrogen within and outside borders – and visited to the Hamburg Hydrogen Association and to the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.
The delegation from the business sector was also able to meet with H2Global and with companies related to renewable energy and their off-shore production.
The contacts made it possible to detect a growing interest at a European level with the development of green hydrogen and its derivatives (the so-called green fuels, which can replace fossil equivalents), within the framework of efforts to decarbonize the economy and international commitments which are being discussed at COP26 in Glasgow.
The potential of Latin America as a future supplier of renewable energy in the form of green hydrogen and its derivatives is recognized.
In addition, Uruguay stands out in its position as a country that has already carried out the first energy transformation, has abundant renewable resources, an institutional framework and a track record of recognized financial responsibility.
“In conclusion, the policies promoted by the European Union and in particular Germany seeking to accelerate the energy transition find the country in the best position to take part in this movement that is beginning, which will take time, but will undoubtedly develop a vigorous and growing dynamic” says the MIEM press release.
The official mission will close the German leg of the tour this Saturday with a visit to the port of Hamburg, and will then move to France to continue the round of contacts.
