Colombia's EPM ratcheting up hydrogen export plans

Colombia's Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) is seeking joint venture partners to produce green hydrogen for export markets in Europe and Asia, according to CEO John Maya. 

The company is aiming to produce 100t/y of green hydrogen in the short term and 400t/y within three years. The energy vector would be stored in ammonia via a chemical process before being extracted through heating.

"We hope to sign a deal for the production of ammonia by the end of the year," said Maya. "It would be exported to countries with hydrogen needs, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Korea and Japan."

Speaking during the company's quarterly assembly, Maya affirmed that EPM could "almost triple" its revenue through hydrogen exports by 2030. 

To jumpstart the process, the company began operating a pilot plant at its Aguas Claras water treatment facility in Bello, near Medellín, in February. The plant required an investment of US$5mn and is currently producing around 5kg of green hydrogen per day, according to EPM. 

"We’re learning a lot and we plan to undertake many experiments using this plant," Maya said. "One of them is to test the combination of hydrogen with natural gas for household use. 

"It's difficult at the moment because the costs are currently high. But technology evolves and eventually these costs will come down."

Maya added that EPM is also experimenting with the possibility of using hydrogen instead of diesel to fuel heavy-duty vehicles.