Piauí will have one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world

The European Union will provide financial support for the construction of one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world in Parnaíba, Piauí. The announcement was made at the beginning of the week by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

According to her, support for the plant is part of a total investment of 2 billion euros (around R$10.7 billion) in the green hydrogen economic chain in Brazil, within a plan called Global Gateway, which aims to guarantee energy supply for the European bloc.

“This new green energy park will have a 10 gigawatt production facility of clean hydrogen and ammonia,” Von der Leyen said in a videoconference speech at European Hydrogen Week.

Green hydrogen, so called because it is obtained using “clean” energy, is one of the main bets for the energy transition.

The plant in Piauí will be built by the Croatian company Green Energy Park. Work is expected to begin at the end of 2024, with first deliveries in 2027.

The objective is to supply Europe, following the example of similar investments previously announced in countries such as Egypt, Kenya and Namibia. The project in Piauí was the first of the European initiative for Brazil.

According to the president of the European Commission, the hydrogen produced in Piauí will be exported in the form of ammonia to the island of Krk, in Croatia, from where it will go to industrial buyers in southeastern Europe.

According to the government of Piauí, Green Energy Park Piauí will take advantage of the structure of the Port of Luís Correia – which is still under construction – to export hydrogen, in the form of ammonia, via the Piauí Export Processing Zone (ZPE).

In her speech, Ursula highlighted that the first buses powered by green hydrogen are already circulating in European cities, from Riga to Barcelona, ​​just as the first plane crossed the skies of Slovenia.

“Construction work has just begun at the Port of Rotterdam, to build a hydrogen network that will extend over more than a thousand kilometers,” she said about advances in the production of the renewable energy source.

In addition to the green hydrogen deal signed with the Brazilian government, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke for about half an hour with Ursula, about the progress of negotiating the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.

Brazil holds the presidency of Mercosur until December 7th, and has discussed the final points of the agreement between the two blocs with the EU.

Northeast on the radar of foreign investors

The part of the northeastern coast that runs from Maranhão to Rio Grande do Norte is on the radar of another investor.

In Ceará, Andrew Forrest, president of the Australian multinational Fortescue, promises to invest US$5 billion (around R$25 billion) in a project focused on green hydrogen in the Port of Pecém. Forrest invests in four more hydrogen plants in other countries.

“He is excited about Brazil’s potential in renewable energy,” said President Lula in a post on social media after receiving him in Brasília.

“We have four pre-contracts signed in Ceará, one of them is with this company. We understand that as a large company begins large-scale production, the others should also follow the same path”, said the governor of Ceará, Elmano Freitas.