Panel SA: New certification could stimulate green hydrogen production in Brazil

The CCEE (Electric Energy Trading Chamber) plans to create a certification to encourage the production of green hydrogen in Brazil, ensuring that the electricity used in the process comes from clean energy sources.

Considered the fuel of the future, hydrogen can be used in industry and even to fuel vehicles and is produced from water, through a thermal process. It is one of the bets to reduce carbon emissions and contain the excessive increase in the planet’s temperature.

Energy companies are researching regions in the Northeast and Rio de Janeiro to invest in the production of hydrogen, taking advantage of the presence of large water reservoirs from hydroelectric plants.

For Rui Altieri, chairman of the CCEE board of directors, green hydrogen opens up space for the creation of new markets in Brazil, reinforcing the country’s potential as a protagonist in the energy transition.

CCEE says it will evaluate the plants and various aspects of the hydrogen production process to see if, in fact, it can be considered green. To receive this classification, production needs to use inputs originating from clean sources, such as solar and wind energy, produced by the force of the winds.

According to CCEE, at least 12 companies signed memorandums of understanding for the creation of a green hydrogen production hub in Ceará, near Porto do Pecém. The first project should be delivered by EDP at the end of 2022. They will be pilot plants, but planned investments are around US$ 20 billion a year.

Responsible for enabling and managing the sale of electricity in Brazil, CCEE wants to expand its performance in the use of clean energy in the country. The organization already has a partnership with the Green Energy Seal, a certification focused on energy produced from sugarcane bagasse.

Ricardo Balthazar (interim editor), with Andressa Motter e Ana Paula Branco