1 minute read
SNAPSHOT BY COUNTRY
Argentina
Argentina is among the group of countries that have announced plans to become net zero by 2050. Argentina’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), submitted in 2016, states that the country’s emissions will be limited to 483 Mt CO2eq by the year 2030, which would constitute an increase of roughly one third (in 2016, Argentina’s total emissions amounted to about 364 Mt CO2eq.26). With international support, a conditional target of 369 Mt CO2eq is envisaged.
Advertisement
It has potential in different sectors linked to natural resources and energy is one of them. Vaca Muerta and unconventional fuels are present and future, as is lithium in the north of the country with its announced investments and projections, renewable energies and hydrogen are added, either in its green or blue format.
The country offers some of the largest potentials for low costs hydrogen based on renewable electricity in the world. This is due to high average wind speeds and in addition high solar irradiation throughout large areas of the country. However, transport distances to major offtake regions such as Europe or Asia are large, and this will increase the landing costs for hydrogen.
Argentina’s hydrogen demand amounted to about 350 kt in 2019, with two thirds being pure hydrogen and the remaining third mixed hydrogen. Argentina is the only country in the region with sizeable hydrogen demand for all of the four main current applications of hydrogen in industry: oil refining and the production of ammonia, methanol and DRI.
Concerning green hydrogen, the country started to deploy increasing capacities of onshore wind and could built on this expertise. Although the country passed the National Hydrogen Promotion Law in 2006, regulation has not followed, which is why the H2 Argentina platform, is calling for progress on a regulatory framework to promote hydrogen investments in the long term.
Argentina currently uses about 330,000 tons of grey hydrogen per year. The largest part, more than 300,000 tons are used in the petrochemical industry for refineries to lower the sulfur content of diesel fuels. The chemical industry makes up the largest share of the remainder with more than 25,000 tons per year.
