<article><p class="lead">Australia's Enegix Energy reached an agreement with the Ceara state government to invest $5.4bn in a green hydrogen project that it says would be the largest of its kind in the world.</p><p>Enegix plans to use its proprietary technology to liquefy the green hydrogen, so it can be transported at ambient pressure and temperatures. The liquefied hydrogen can use the same infrastructure currently used to transport and store diesel, according to Marco Stacke, Enegix operations director.</p><p>The company has already contracted 3.4GW of wind and solar power from Brazilian renewable generator Enerwind to produce up to 600,000 t/yr of green hydrogen.</p><p>The company will develop the project, dubbed Base One, in the port of Pecem, which has the infrastructure to export the product as well as water needed for the process of electrolysis.</p><p>The company is also targeting electricity generation applications, as green hydrogen can substitute natural gas in many existing gas turbines.</p><p>The project, which is expected to be operational in three to four years, has a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed international engineering firm and will now start the process of obtaining the necessary environmental permits, Enegix said.</p><p>Ceara has 2.18GW of installed wind generation capacity and is also a leader in solar power. Last month, the state created a working group aimed at developing public policies to promote green hydrogen investment with the goal of developing a green energy hub.</p><p>The project is the first major investment in green hydrogen in Brazil, but there is a consensus that the country has the potential to be a major market actor because of its extensive renewable power and record on biofuels innovation and development.</p><p>Brazil still needs to develop a regulatory framework and national strategy for hydrogen to attract more investment, according to a recent technical note published by Brazil's government-controlled energy research company Epe.</p><p>The government began holding public hearings in July 2020 to define a regulatory framework for hydrogen fuel and included green hydrogen in its long-term energy plan for 2050.</p><p>Elsewhere in the region, <a href="https://www2.argusmedia.com/en/news/2193866-chiles-ame-set-to-build-green-hydrogen-fuels-plant?backToResults=true">Chile</a> released a national green hydrogen strategy late last year and is working on regulations to govern new projects, including an ammonia initiative by US utility AES announced last week.</p></article>
