{"id":11948,"date":"2025-11-08T20:32:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T23:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aniu.org.uy\/sin-categorizar\/prospects-for-green-hydrogen-for-transportation\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T20:32:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T23:32:13","slug":"prospects-for-green-hydrogen-for-transportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/news\/prospects-for-green-hydrogen-for-transportation\/","title":{"rendered":"Prospects for green hydrogen for transportation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The National Academy of Engineering of Uruguay (ANIU) held this Wednesday, November 5, a conference in which Eng. Oscar Ferre\u00f1o, Director of Institutional Relations and Regulation at <a href=\"https:\/\/ventus.global\">Ventus Ingenier\u00eda<\/a>, analyzed the <strong>potential of green hydrogen in the decarbonization of<\/strong> heavy <strong>transport<\/strong> and presented the progress of the Kahir\u00f3s project. <\/p>\n<p>Ferre\u00f1o began his presentation by recalling that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere \u2013 from 280 parts per million in 1750 to 420 in 2025 \u2013 is evidence of a climate change that he described as \u201c<strong>unacceptable for civilization<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n<p>In his opinion, this phenomenon makes it necessary to <strong>phase out the use of fossil fuels<\/strong> and rethink global energy systems.<\/p>\n<p>During the presentation, he explained that fossil fuels concentrate solar energy accumulated over millions of years and that their ease of transport and storage made them dominant. However, their intensive use resulted in an unsustainable concentration of greenhouse gases. <\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cIf we deny climate change, nothing we are discussing makes sense,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <strong>transition to renewables<\/strong>, he added, demands manageable sources. Wind and solar are essential, but require seasonal storage. At that point, hydrogen emerges as a \u201ccontainer\u201d for renewable energy.  <\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"Prospects of green hydrogen for transportation: Kahiros Project\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1134962533?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Green hydrogen: an energy vector<\/h2>\n<p>The speaker explained the different types of hydrogen: gray (derived from hydrocarbons), blue (gray with carbon capture), pink (from nuclear energy), white (of natural origin) and green (produced by electrolysis with renewable electricity). The latter is the one being promoted by Ventus and is the focus of the <a href=\"https:\/\/kahiros.com.uy\">Kahiros project<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Ferre\u00f1o noted that PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolyzers are more expensive than alkaline electrolyzers, but allow variable power and produce a higher purity hydrogen suitable for fuel cells.<\/p>\n<p>With this technology, 1 megawatt hour of electricity can generate approximately 18 kilograms of green hydrogen, with an efficiency of 60%.<\/p>\n<h2>Production and applications<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cGreen hydrogen makes it possible to transform electrical energy into an energy vector that <strong>can replace diesel in heavy transport<\/strong>, significantly reducing the carbon footprint,\u201d Ferre\u00f1o said.<\/p>\n<p>Compared to batteries, he explained, fuel cells <strong>offer advantages for large vehicles<\/strong>, as refueling is faster and range is longer.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11935\" src=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1230\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay.jpg 1230w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay-1024x524.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay-768x393.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Quoting the CEO of Daimler Truck, he mentioned that \u201cfor a single truck the hydrogen infrastructure is unfeasible, but when we talk about thousands of vehicles, the costs of scale make it interesting.<\/p>\n<p>According to Ferre\u00f1o, this logic is applicable to Uruguay, where forestry companies handle hundreds of trucks and constitute a relevant potential market.<\/p>\n<h2>The Kahiros project<\/h2>\n<p>The Kahiros pilot was born in Ventus as a proof of concept to demonstrate the viability of green hydrogen in cargo transportation. It was later incorporated as an independent company with the participation of three companies: Ventus, Fidocar and Frilet, joined by the Santander investment group. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cKahiros is not looking to sell hydrogen as a product, but to <strong>offer emission-free heavy transport freight<\/strong>,\u201d the engineer explained. The project contemplates a <g id=\"gid_1\">4.2 MW solar plant connected to the grid<\/g> to feed a 2 MW electrolyzer. Surplus energy will be fed into the grid, which will function as a battery.  <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11937\" src=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hidrogeno-verde-en-uruguay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1230\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hidrogeno-verde-en-uruguay.jpg 1230w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hidrogeno-verde-en-uruguay-1024x524.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hidrogeno-verde-en-uruguay-768x393.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The plant will have <strong>a hydrogen reserve<\/strong> equivalent to one and a half days of operation. On cloudy days, the system will draw energy from the grid, and when there are solar surpluses, it will inject it again. <\/p>\n<p>Ferre\u00f1o pointed out that the electrolyzers are being built in Belgium by the firm Cames, part of the Accelera group, while the hydroline is being supplied by Air Liquide, a company that also operates in Uruguay.<\/p>\n<p>The initial fleet includes eight Hyundai fuel cell trucks with a range of nearly 800 kilometers and a charging time of 20 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>The chosen location, in the M\u2019Bopicu\u00e1 Biopark area, will allow <strong>industrial and forestry routes<\/strong> to be <strong>covered<\/strong> with a single loading station, simplifying logistics and reducing costs.<\/p>\n<h2>Investment and partners<\/h2>\n<p>The Santander Group <strong>is participating as the main investor<\/strong> and will lease the plant for ten years.<\/p>\n<p>To validate the project, the entity contracted a technical audit to the German consulting firm Fichtner. In addition, according to Ferre\u00f1o, the bank\u2019s involvement was decisive in securing the participation of Korean manufacturers, who agreed to supply the trucks after <strong>confirming the project\u2019s financial soundness<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11939\" src=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay-socios.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1230\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay-socios.jpg 1230w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay-socios-1024x524.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/proyecto-kahiros-hidrogeno-verde-uruguay-socios-768x393.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKairos is a god of Greek mythology linked to transcendent time. We chose it because it <g id=\"gid_0\">symbolizes the right time to do something important<\/g>. We added the \u2018h\u2019 for hydrogen,\u201d said Ferre\u00f1o when explaining the name of the project.  <\/p>\n<h2>Economic and environmental viability<\/h2>\n<p>The speaker detailed that, considering the costs of generation, electricity tolls, electrolyzer and hydrolinera, Uruguayan green hydrogen can be produced at about five dollars per kilogram.<\/p>\n<p>Given its calorific value \u2013 2.8 times higher than that of diesel \u2013 and the performance of the fuel cell engine, this figure is equivalent to <strong>an energy cost of close to one dollar per liter of diesel.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11942\" src=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/perspectivas-economicas-del-hidrogeno-verde-para-el-transporte-oscar-ferreno.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1230\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/perspectivas-economicas-del-hidrogeno-verde-para-el-transporte-oscar-ferreno.jpg 1230w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/perspectivas-economicas-del-hidrogeno-verde-para-el-transporte-oscar-ferreno-1024x524.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/perspectivas-economicas-del-hidrogeno-verde-para-el-transporte-oscar-ferreno-768x393.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreen hydrogen is not yet competitive, but it <strong>is fast approaching parity<\/strong>. In Europe, there is already a charge for emitting CO\u2082 and that changes the accounts. At bottom, this is not an issue of economics, it\u2019s an issue of ethics,\u201d Ferre\u00f1o said.  <\/p>\n<p>Regarding water use, he clarified that <strong>consumption is minimal<\/strong>: about nine kilograms of water are needed to produce one kilogram of hydrogen, or up to 25 kilograms if the purification process is included.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we were to replace all fossil fuel imports with green hydrogen, the water required would be less than 2 % of the agricultural sector\u2019s consumption,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<h2>Outlook for Uruguay<\/h2>\n<p>Ferre\u00f1o concluded that <strong>Uruguay has favorable conditions to consolidate itself as a green hydrogen producer<\/strong>, thanks to its clean electricity matrix, regulatory stability and experience in renewable energies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we manage to generate an alternative domestic fuel, even if it is somewhat more expensive, it can be an excellent solution to <strong>reduce imports and strengthen energy sovereignty<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Kahiros project, currently under construction, represents the <strong>first integral pilot of green hydrogen<\/strong> for transportation in Uruguay and positions the country among the regional pioneers in sustainable mobility.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/perspectivas-del-hidrogeno-verde-para-el-transporte-oscar-ferreno.pdf\">Presentation by Eng. \u00d3scar Ferre\u00f1o (pdf) <\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Academy of Engineering of Uruguay (ANIU) held this Wednesday, November 5, a conference in which Eng. Oscar Ferre\u00f1o, Director of Institutional Relations and Regulation at Ventus Ingenier\u00eda, analyzed the potential of green hydrogen in the decarbonization of heavy transport and presented the progress of the Kahir\u00f3s project. Ferre\u00f1o began his presentation by recalling [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025-en","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.aniu.org.uy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}