Chilean power generation and energy solutions company Colbún has inaugurated the country’s first industrial-scale green hydrogen (H₂V) plant at its Nehuenco thermoelectric complex in Quillota. The facility, which supplies electricity to over 570,000 homes, marks a major step in the company’s push toward cleaner and more sustainable energy operations, reports Energetica India.
Thermoelectric plants use hydrogen as part of their generator cooling systems. Until now, the Nehuenco complex relied on grey hydrogen, which is produced using fossil fuels and contributes to carbon emissions. With the new green hydrogen plant—powered entirely by solar energy and operating off-grid—the cooling process will now be carried out using renewable, zero-emission hydrogen.
Built with an investment of USD 1.6 million, the new facility includes a 100 kW solar farm, battery storage systems, an electrolyser, and hydrogen storage tanks, Colbún said in a statement.
The company described the project as part of its broader plan to modernise and adapt the Nehuenco Complex, which has been in operation since the early 2000s. The upgrades aim to strengthen the grid’s flexibility and reliability to complement the intermittent nature of solar and wind power, ensuring energy security and supporting a responsible energy transition.
Recent improvements at the complex include investment in a Reverse Osmosis Plant to reduce water use during droughts, a major maintenance programme to boost efficiency, and the approval of an Environmental Impact Statement that will channel USD 18 million into upgrading generating units, expanding capacity, and improving water efficiency.
Colbún CEO José Ignacio Escobar said the project represents an important step in technological innovation and sustainability. “We are convinced that this type of technological development will continue to advance in the country,” he said. “The true driving force behind progress lies in diversification, where the strengths of each technology complement one another. Sustainability must be environmental, social, and economic—it should generate value and opportunities for all.”
This initiative follows Colbún’s 2024 milestone in Peru, where it installed the first green hydrogen plant at a power station, replacing 100 percent of grey hydrogen used at the Fenix thermoelectric facility with clean hydrogen.
