Total Eren Plans Giant Green Ammonia Project on the Strait of Magellan
French renewable-power company Total Eren (formerly Eren RE) has commissioned an initial engineering study for a mega-scale green hydrogen and green ammonia plant in the Magallanes region of southern Chile.
Under a new contract announced last week, UK-based energy engineering consultancy Wood will provide a conceptual engineering study for Total Eren's H2 Magallanes Project, a giant green hydrogen plant located on the windy Strait of Magellan. The plan calls for development of 10 GW of onshore wind power capacity, a desalination plant to make clean water to feed electrolyzers, 8 GW of electrolysis capacity, and an ammonia plant to turn the hydrogen product into green ammonia.
The scope also includes a new seaport facility. An initial illustration shows that it would have two breakbulk berths for the import of equipment, plus one liquid bulk berth for the transfer of ammonia (and potentially hydrogen) to tankers for transport to overseas markets.
Total Eren secured the land for the project at the end of 2021. If completed, it would go a long ways towards fulfilling Chile's national goal of building out 25 GW of green hydrogen capacity by 2030.
"This highly pioneering and innovative project represents the significant investment needed to realize not only the future of green hydrogen production but the potential of green ammonia, which is vital for ensuring sustainable food production, and an alternative clean fuel source in accelerating the energy transition," said Thomas Grell, President of Renewable Energy & Power at Wood.
Chile has global-scale ambitions for the development of its renewable energy industry. Its vastly different northern and southern climates have some of the best solar-power and wind resources in the world, and its government hopes to leverage this potential to build a mega-scale energy export economy.
Total Eren has been working in Chile since 2019, and is 30 percent owned by French oil and gas company TotalEnergies.