The activity, organized by the Embassy of France and the Sustainable Development Club of the Franco-Chilean Chamber of Commerce, took place between April 22 and 23 and included working sessions with authorities and key players in the region.
Between April 22 and 23, the EDF Group participated in the Learning Expedition (LEX) in the Antofagasta Region, led by the Embassy of France and the Sustainable Development Club of the Franco-Chilean Chamber of Commerce, with the aim of gathering local insights into the green hydrogen industry, sharing French experience in the development of this innovative industry, and expressing France's and its companies' interest in becoming top partners in the region to boost this key industry for Chile's and the world's energy transition.
The mission, led by Jean-Baptiste Chauvin, business attaché of the Embassy of France, and composed of a delegation of 15 French companies from various sectors, focused on understanding the vision of local authorities and key regional actors regarding the characteristics of existing regional infrastructure that could serve as an advantage for the region to position itself as a development hub for the green hydrogen industry, as well as reviewing the pending challenges to advance projects in a timely manner.
Among the regional actors who participated in the event were the governor, the mayors of Antofagasta and Mejillones, the main Seremi, and representatives of the Environmental Assessment Service, among others.
Joan Leal, CEO of EDF Chile, highlighted the initiative as a space for public-private collaboration towards comprehensive and sustainable development of the hydrogen industry, emphasizing the importance of swiftly advancing the development of the H2V industry given its real potential to replace fossil fuel consumption in key sectors of the economy and thereby significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
From EDF Renewables Chile, Andrés Madariaga, Chief Business Officer, emphasized the activity as an excellent opportunity to introduce the EDF Group to local authorities, strengthen ties, and establish collaboration spaces, in order to ensure that the hydrogen industry is not only good news for the energy transition but also translates into concrete benefits for the region.