Punta Arenas, October 06, 2023. HIF Global, the world’s leading eFuels company, submitted today the environmental permit of the HIF Cabo Negro eFuels facility to the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) of the Magallanes Region in southern Chile.
The facility involves an investment of USD 830 million and will be located in the Cabo Negro industrial complex in Punta Arenas, Chile. It considers a production capacity of 173,600 tons/year of eMethanol with the potential to be converted totally or partially to eGasoline and eLG, reaching a maximum production of 70,000 tons/year of eGasoline and 8,030 tons/year of eLG. The plant will be powered by renewable energy from Faro del Sur Wind Park (384 MW).
HIF Global President & CEO Cesar Norton said, “We are taking a substantial step towards making the hydrogen derivatives industry a reality in Chile: this will be the first commercial-scale plant for the production of carbon neutral eFuels at competitive costs. eFuels allow us to displace fossil fuels and contribute to the decarbonization of the planet. Our HIF Cabo Negro project leverages all the experience gained at our Haru Oni eFuels plant.”
Once the environmental permit approval is received, the construction phase is expected to take about 26 months. This will create an average of 600 jobs and consider the installation of a camp for workers. During operations, it will employ approximately 400 people, including operators and contractors.
The CO2 source of HIF Cabo Negro considers three alternatives: biomass conversion, Direct Air Capture, and other industrial sources. The thermal energy produced by biomass will be used as a complement to wind generation and batteries will be installed to take advantage of the excess energy generated by Faro del Sur, which will connect to the plant through an underground high-voltage line.
The facility will use desalinated water for the eFuels production process (up to 34 m3/h of seawater) and a recycling system to avoid sea discharge.
About HIF Global
HIF Global is the world’s leading eFuels company, developing projects to convert hydrogen using low cost renewable power into carbon-neutral liquid eFuels that can be transported and utilized in existing infrastructure. The name HIF represents the mission of the company: to provide Highly Innovative Fuels to make decarbonization of the planet possible. HIF Latam, HIF USA, HIF Asia Pacific and HIF EMEA are wholly owned subsidiaries of HIF Global. HIF Global is already producing eFuels in its Haru Oni Demonstration Facility in Magallanes, Chile and intends to begin construction of the commercial scale HIF Matagorda eFuels Facility in Texas in 2024. HIF Global’s first Australian development, in Tasmania, was announced in July 2022. For more information visit www.hifglobal.com