Territorial (un)regulation of “green hydrogen” in Chile: Pending issue or enabling condition?

Abstract

The deployment of a “green hydrogen” (H2V) industry has become a priority for the State of Chile. This, not only because of its potential to catalyze the national energy transition, but also because of the economic opportunity that the export of such fuel would imply. Seeking to enhance the geographical advantages that Chile would have over other potential suppliers, the State has sought to establish “enabling conditions” to accelerate and ensure the deployment of this industry. This has translated into the establishment of national goals through various public policies, and the granting of economic and administrative benefits to facilitate the development of the first projects. However, there are very few measures aimed at preventing the socio-environmental impacts associated with this type of projects, particularly those cumulative and synergistic impacts projected by the large scale and geographic concentration of these projects. The objective of this study was to identify the regulatory tools used to control the spatial distribution of H2V projects, and their role in the deployment of this industry in Chile. The results show a limited availability of instruments oriented to this end, highlighting the potential of the incipient “energy planning instruments”.