Four Colombian green hydrogen projects to watch

The number of clean hydrogen projects in Colombia has jumped by 75% over the past year as investors seek an early foothold in the nascent sector. 

The Andean country currently has 49 projects in the development stage, under construction or in operation, up from 28 projects a year ago, according to the Andi-Naturgas hydrogen chamber. 

Thirteen of these projects are being tested on a pilot scale, the chamber's executive director Karen Peralta told BNamericas. 

Here is a snapshot of four of the most promising projects that have been labelled as "strategic" by the Bogotá-based entity.

Cartagena Refinery H2

State oil company Ecopetrol is set to begin construction on what it says will be the largest green hydrogen production plant in Latin America at its Cartagena refinery. 

The facility will have the capacity to produce 800t a year of green hydrogen with energy sourced from a 23MW solar park at the refinery, which began operating in April.

Production is expected to begin in the first half of 2026, meeting some of Ecopetrol's hydrogen needs at the refinery. 

"It's a modular project, meaning that as the business scales up, hydrogen production modules can be added," Peralta said.

Initial investment in the plant is expected to reach US$28.5mn.

Ecopetrol transport        

Another Ecopetrol-led project is focused on cargo transportation. A pilot has been earmarked for Cartagena, where the company will utilize an existing solar plant to produce green hydrogen. 

"It doesn't include production because it will take advantage of the production that Ecopetrol already has at a mobility park," Peralta said. "What is sought is to begin creating a cargo transportation route in the Caribbean [region].

The project is on track to begin operating in the next two years, according to the chamber. 

Hevolución

A third project is being developed by Colombia's Hevolución, which is focused on green ammonia production. The company plans to scale up its operations to allow for exports to European markets. 

"Hevolución already produces hydrogen," Peralta said, adding that "an important milestone" for the project is expected in the coming months. 

Hevolución is a spinoff of Medellín-based technology company Opex. 

Valle del Cauca green ammonia

Another initiative in the advanced development stage is a proposed green ammonia production facility in Valle del Cauca department. A 60MW renewable energy plant would facilitate the production of green hydrogen, which in turn would be used to manufacture green ammonia. 

"The interesting thing about this project is that it already has guaranteed consumption because this stage of finding clients for these green fertilizers is already very advanced, so we see that it could be one of the projects that could go into operation in the next two years," Peralta said.