HIF Global Announces New Hydrogen Project in Brazil

The hydrogen giant signed a land-reservation contract with the Port of Açu to develop a plant that is expected to produce approximately 800,000 tons of e-methanol, its first foray into the Brazilian market.

The agreement was formalised on Tuesday during the energy fair ROG.e, held in Rio de Janeiro, and established that HIF Global would reserve a large swathe of land within the Port of Açu complex to develop its e-methanol instillation, which will also be supported by the port itself.

The Port of Açu is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and already had a preliminary environmental permit that would allow the development of a hydrogen and derivatives hub within its land complex.

The port complex already stands out as a prime location for future green hydrogen-related projects due to its positioning as the largest deep-water and private industrial complex in the entirety of South America, with 11 private terminals and 22 companies being established within its complex since its construction only a decade ago.

Following on from this, the port is also a prime location for the development of e-fuel projects for HIF Global, which typically seeks sites that meet a combination of ‘optimal conditions’, which include: access to low-cost renewable energy; abundance of CO2 sources; stable legal frameworks on both industrial and national levels; favourable market conditions; and well-developed pre-existing port instillations. It is hoped that the new project being developed by HIF Global will attract new investment opportunities into the port complex.

Speaking on the agreement, the CEO of HIF Global, César Norton, said: “We have been operating in Haru Oni in southern Chile, the world’s first e-fuel facility for more than a year, demonstrating that they are a real and concrete solution to combat climate change now. The Port of Açu will be a fundamental pillar in the construction of a sustainable future and we are excited to work together on this first development of HIF Global in Brazil.”

The e-fuels will be manufactured by using electrolysers powered by renewable energy to separate hydrogen from oxygen within the water molecules. The hydrogen will then be combined with recycled carbon dioxide to create the carbon-neutral e-fuels, such as e-methanol, which will be used for sipping or converted into fuel for cars and aeroplanes, or alternatively, e-diesel for trucks and other heavy transport machinery.

As they are chemically equivalent to the fossil-based fuels used today, it is expected to become a cheaper and cleaner alternative to everyday fuel while negating the need to modify existing vehicle engines.

Brazil has been a strong player regarding many South American hydrogen projects, and hosts four of the sixty mega-initiatives on the continent. The country has also signed more than 35 memorandums of understanding with both national and foreign companies for the advancement of green hydrogen and derivatives, and most recently held the ROG.e energy fair this week – a conference that invites leading figures of the South American energy industries to gather and develop and discuss their ideas for the future of their sectors.

“The agreement with HIF Global is a milestone for the Port of Açu and the region in this new industry,” said Mauro Andrade, Executive Director of Business Developent at Prumo, a Brazilian company that develops integrated and sustainable port-industry and focusses primarily on energy.

“We are committed to promoting sustainable development and contributing to a cleaner and more energy-efficient future.”