Hydrogen in Latin America | IEA

Latin America is one of the world’s leading regions for renewable energy use today and one that can play a major role in the international push for low-carbon hydrogen, a crucial element of a global net-zero emissions future. In this context, low-carbon hydrogen has been gaining attention from policy makers in the region, mainly due to Latin America’s long-term potential to produce large volumes of competitive low-carbon hydrogen and export it to other global markets. At the time of writing, 11 countries in the region have either published or are currently preparing national hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, and a pipeline of more than 25 low-carbon hydrogen projects are at the early stages of development.

Low-carbon hydrogen can also play a crucial role in Latin America’s own clean energy transitions, which have been gaining momentum in recent years, with many countries announcing ambitious new climate and energy goals and taking steps to translate these objectives into action. In the coming decade, variable renewables, energy efficiency and direct electrification will continue to drive emissions reductions in the region based on existing technologies. Beyond 2030, decarbonisation efforts will increasingly rely on technologies that are not commercially available today.

These include low-carbon hydrogen applications that could substitute fossil fuels where direct electrification may present implementation challenges, and to further support the integration of renewables by providing long-term energy storage, among other applications. The next decade will be crucial for the development, demonstration and initial deployment of these emerging technologies, before they can be scaled up in a cost competitive way'