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Anglo American Chile generates green hydrogen for zero-emission mining vehicles

anglo american chile hydrogen

Anglo American Chile generates green hydrogen for zero-emission vehicles.

[Valora Analitik] Anglo American Chile developed the first green hydrogen molecule in that country. The company, dedicated to copper mining in that market and with operations in different Latin American nations, developed a plant that converts this element into fuel for vehicles.

Known as Las Tórtolas , this plant is consolidated as the first hydrogen plant in Chile dedicated to producing hydrogen molecules for use in zero-carbon vehicles that, in particular, will directly impact the mining sector. 

The plant operates thanks to the energy from the solar panels and produces green hydrogen, a product that is injected into fuel cells from which the energy is generated to move the cars.

The goal is to use green hydrogen as fuel for the trucks and cars that are part of Anglo American’s operations and, in this way, decarbonize the mining vehicle fleet . This step is part of the company’s strategy to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, was at the inauguration of the green hydrogen plant and was in charge of pressing the button that produced the first green hydrogen molecule in Chile, marking a new milestone for mining.

“The first green hydrogen molecule produces energy for the front loader, but also for mining in our country,” said Piñera. It works like this: oxygen is returned to the atmosphere and hydrogen is stored in a high pressure compressed pond to be used as energy.

A mining truck consumes up to 2,900 liters of diesel per day, generating 2,700 tons of CO2 per year, but with the implementation of green hydrogen, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are reduced . Diesel consumption in Chilean mining reaches two million cubic meters per year, generating 5.4 million tons of CO2.

The Government’s goal is for the country to have the capacity to produce green hydrogen at a cost of less than US $ 1.5 per kilogram to export more than US $ 30,000 million a year in this energy source, seeking to be one of the main exporters of that energy. element.

Anglo American Chile had a record financial performance during the first half, which generated an underlying Ebitda of US $ 12.1 billion. The company also has operations in Brazil, Peru, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, China and Finland.

READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central

Anglo American Chile genera molécula de hidrógeno verde para vehículos sin emisiones, 23 August 2021 [in Spanish]

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