On 11 and 12 September, the Cartagena de Indias Convention Centre in Colombia hosted the LAC H2 SUMMIT 2024 – Latin America and the Caribbean: Moving towards a sustainable transition with green hydrogen and its derivatives through public-private collaboration. This LAC H2 SUMMIT 2024 was organised by the Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy, the LAC Clean Hydrogen Action Alliance, and the German Development Cooperation GIZ, within the framework of the International Hydrogen Ramp-up Programme (H2Uppp) and the H2-diplo – Decarbonisation Diplomacy Programme, with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) and the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), respectively. The conference gathered the public and private sector, academia, and financial institutions to exchange, discuss, and network to foster the low-carbon hydrogen economy in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Minister of Mines and Energy of Colombia, Omar Andrés Camacho, opened the summit with greeting words, followed by Dr. Christian Storost, Head of Division in the German Ministry for the Economy and Energy, Mr. Simon Herchen, Deputy Ambassador of Germany in Colombia; and Ms. Mónica Gasca, Executive president H2 Colombia, LAC Clean Hydrogen Action.
To set the scene, Francisco Boshell, Head of Innovation and end use application at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), gave an overview on the global industrial decarbonization landscape and the role of green hydrogen. He illustrated the potential of green hydrogen especially in hard-to-abate sectors and in transport and highlighted the importance of hydrogen derivatives.
The morning session offered four panel discussions on different topics covering the necessity of public policies as a competitive strategy for Latin America, hydrogen policies in Europe, partnership with local communities for a successful and just transition, and the chances of hydrogen hubs to boost regional articulation between supply and demand.
In the afternoon, there were a wide variety of side-events: From panel discussions on technological value chains for the hydrogen economy, to presentations on experiences from Latin America to accelerate investments in green hydrogen and experience reports on carbon markets and the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The second day of the “LAC H2 – SUMMIT Cartagena 2024 – Latin America and the Caribbean Advancing towards a Sustainable Transition” continued to strengthen discussions on the low-carbon hydrogen potential of the region and focused on exchanging strategies, best-practice examples, and solutions through various panel discussions:
- Connecting Markets: Strategies and Opportunities for Green Hydrogen and PtX Technologies
- Supply and Local Best Particies in Green Hydrogen and PtX Projects
- Challenges in Large-Scale Green Hydrogen Projects
- Carbon sources for sustainable PtX production.
Luis Diazgranados, Country Manager at Hinicio, gave an informative training session on the prerequisites to export green hydrogen derivatives to the EU and how to align the local context with RED II RFNBO requirements.
The afternoon offered several deep dive sessions and discussion rounds on topics, like auction mechanisms for green hydrogen, project development in the LAC region, and gender and inclusion in the renewable energy sector in Colombia.
Overall the summit attracted more than 500 participants from 14 countries and facilitated exchange with 30 companies through 160 matchmaking sessions. The summit also offered a practical side programme with site visits to learn more about the production of green hydrogen and the harbour infrastructure at Cartagena.
The LAC H2 – SUMMIT Cartagena 2024 was a huge success proving the serious and ambitious approach towards green hydrogen in Colombia, Latin America, and the Caribbean and underlined the strong cooperation between Germany, the EU, Colombia and Latin America.
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