Green hydrogen studies in Bolivia

By PPO Abogados

According to BNamericas, at least two international firms have expressed interest in Bolivian state power company Ende’s call to carry out green hydrogen studies.

The potential bidders are Toronto-based Minnova Renewable Energy and Ghenova rom Spain, which together with local group Inesco participated in an information meeting.

Green hydrogen is key to achieving ambitious global decarbonization goals, particularly for those sectors where it is most difficult to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is highly versatile as it can be used directly or combined with other elements to produce new products. It can be used in the land, sea and air transport sectors as well as for industrial and domestic purposes and for the stabilization of renewable energy systems.

According to studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to limit global warming to less than 1.5ºC, the world must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (IPCC, 2018). Fossil fuels account for 80.2% of global energy consumption (Renewables - REN 21, 2021). Their demand will continue to increase as the world’s population continues to grow and greater economic development is projected. Therefore, it is both urgent and a priority to accelerate a low-carbon energy transition.

On the one hand, the use of this energy vector would enable the distribution of energy to other sectors. Thus, starting with electricity from renewable sources, it would be possible to produce hydrogen and use it in applications that include a wide variety of uses, such as the synthesis of ammonia for fertilizers; the production of fuel for mobility in heavy vehicles and hydrogen derivatives for maritime and aviation use; the production of industrial heat; in some climatic conditions, the thermal conditioning of buildings; and the direct reduction of iron for steel production, etc.