Ceará bets on green hydrogen to boost economy

State enters into partnership with Australian company to build 3.4 GW plant. In total, US$ 5.4 billion will be invested
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08-03-21-canal-solar-Ceará aposta em hidrogênio verde para impulsionar economia

Renewable energy generation in the state of Ceará is expected to grow even more. This is because the Ceará government is planning to build a H2V (green hydrogen) on 500 hectares of commercial land in the Port of Pecém.

The state's objective is to be a global supplier of this type of fuel, contributing to the reduction of pollutant emissions and expanding business opportunities and job creation in Ceará, in order to boost the economy. 

“The whole world is moving towards the use of clean energy and we are at the forefront of changing the socioeconomic reality, as we have all the favorable conditions to produce and export green hydrogen”, stated governor Camilo Santana.

According to Australian company Enegix Energy, which is expected to produce the H2V, the US$5.4 billion plant is expected to be powered by 3.4 GW of combined wind and solar capacity. Construction of the plant could take up to four years.

“This is a large project that will generate thousands of jobs during its construction, and hundreds after the start of operation, helping to improve the lives of many people from Ceará. We are very happy to be part of this partnership with Ceará”, said Wesley Cooke, CEO of Enegix Energy.

The company also highlighted that a memorandum of understanding was signed at the end of February with state governor Camilo Santana and that the installation is expected to generate more than 600 million kilos of green hydrogen per year.

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Government signs memorandum with Australian company to produce green hydrogen in the Pecém Complex

Benefits

According to Santana, the infrastructure of the Pecém Complex and international partnerships will facilitate exports, thus contributing to Ceará emerging as the first green hydrogen HUB in Brazil and Latin America. 

Furthermore, he said that the export of this fuel through the Port of Pecém will be the shortest between South America and Europe and, consequently, the lowest cost.

About hydrogen

According to international projections, in 2050, hydrogen will represent 18% of all energy consumed worldwide, reducing 6 Gt of CO2 emissions annually and eliminating the main air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate materials, also reducing the level of noise in cities. 

The transport sector will consume 20 million fewer barrels of oil per day, significantly increasing countries' energy security, and economic growth will be based on sustainable development, generating revenue of more than $ 2.5 trillion per year and employing more than 30 million people worldwide.

Solar energy in Ceará

Data from ABSOLAR (Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy) indicate that Ceará is in 9th position in the state ranking of distributed photovoltaic generation with 170.9 MW of power – which represents 3.5% of installed capacity in Brazil.

Picture of Mateus Badra
Matthew Badra
Journalist graduated from PUC-Campinas. He worked as a producer, reporter and presenter on TV Bandeirantes and Metro Jornal. Has been following the Brazilian electricity sector since 2020.

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