Latin America's Potential in the Low-Emission Hydrogen Market
Key Ideas
  • Latin America is gearing up to boost domestic demand for low-emission hydrogen and derivatives, focusing on industrial decarbonization and reducing exposure to hydrocarbons price volatility.
  • The region aims to participate in the global hydrogen trade market from 2030, with an emphasis on developing internal demand to create local production ecosystems and enhance scalability.
  • Challenges include high capital costs, infrastructure development, policy adaptation, and securing global demand for low-emission hydrogen to materialize export projects.
  • Latin America could potentially substitute imported nitrogen-based fertilizers with domestic production, presenting opportunities to reduce trade deficits and reliance on imports.
Latin America is poised to capitalize on the low-emission hydrogen trend with a focus on stimulating domestic demand for hydrogen and its derivatives. This strategic shift is driven by the need for industrial decarbonization and the desire to reduce exposure to price volatility in the hydrocarbons market. While the global hydrogen trade market is expected to kick off around 2030, Latin America is gearing up to play a significant role by emphasizing the development of internal demand. By fostering domestic usage, the region aims to create local production ecosystems and acquire the necessary knowledge to scale up output efficiently. Key sectors such as oil refining, steelmaking, chemicals, fuels, and mining are identified as lucrative targets for low-emission hydrogen adoption in Latin America. The region's strategic location also positions it to potentially become a vital maritime shipping hub for hydrogen. The International Energy Agency (IEA) highlights the importance of collaboration with national oil companies to enable the adoption of hydrogen in refining operations and the production of sustainable refined products. While Latin America boasts abundant renewable energy resources and available land for hydrogen production, several challenges lie ahead. These include high capital costs, infrastructure development requirements, policy adjustments to prioritize domestic demand, and the need to secure global demand for low-emission hydrogen to support export projects. Additionally, the region is exploring opportunities to reduce its reliance on imported nitrogen-based fertilizers by shifting towards domestic production using locally produced ammonia. This shift not only presents economic advantages by reducing trade deficits but also aligns with the region's renewable energy goals. Despite the promising outlook, Latin America faces obstacles in finalizing investment decisions for its low-emission hydrogen production capacity. The IEA outlines key enabling factors such as establishing production hubs, leveraging national oil companies, and creating demand through quotas and end-use targets. By addressing these challenges and seizing investment opportunities, Latin America aims to emerge as a significant player in the low-emission hydrogen market.
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