Chile’s Green Hydrogen Ambitions on Show in Patagonia

Visitors to Chile’s Punta Arenas, one of the southernmost cities in the world, should beware: Winds of as high as 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) can easily topple the unwitting pedestrian. Ropes have been strung up between some of the buildings in the city’s downtown to give people something to grasp during a gust.

Capitalizing on Chile’s powerful winds is an important agenda item for President Gabriel Boric, who assumed office almost a year ago promising to green an economy dependent on fossil fuels and copper mining. Renewables already account for more than 50% of the country’s electricity generation capacity, and that proportion is set to continue rising as the government works toward the goal of closing or repurposing all coal-fired plants by 2040 at the latest.