European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson visited Chile to strengthen cooperation in green transition and renewable energies

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European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson visited Chile to strengthen cooperation in green transition and renewable energies

The official visit of European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson was part of the ratification process of the Advanced Framework Agreement with Chile. The representative held discussions with government authorities, business leaders, and academics regarding Europe's global investment agenda "Global Gateway", emphasizing advancements in Chile's production of renewable energies, green hydrogen, and critical raw materials.

© Del UE Chile

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson visited Chile on July 1 and 2. The visit held particular significance within the context of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement ratification process. Likewise, the visit took place in the context of the Global Gateway strategy of the European Union, which seeks to promote public and private investment in infrastructure, green energy, education and research for sustainable development.

Regarding the outcomes of her visit, Commissioner Simson highlighted that:"Energy cooperation between the EU and Chile has a strong foundation, reinforced through the Advanced Framework Agreement, which has a strong energy chapter. We want to maintain this strong connection with Chile through our Global Gateway investment agenda, where Hydrogen is one priority area, as reflected on the Team Europe Initiative on Renewable Hydrogen. We discussed with the Minister how this Initiative contributes to the recently launched Green Hydrogen action Plan. We also discussed how to expand cooperation on clean power production and on electricity grids, storage and interconnection".

On Monday, the Commissioner met with Energy Minister Diego Pardow and CORFO's Executive Vice President José Miguel Benavente. They discussed the ways to deepen the cooperation on energy between the EU and Chilr, especially on hydrogen.

Regarding Commissioner Simson's visit and what EU cooperation in energy matters means for Chile, Energy Minister Diego Pardow noted that "We share common objectives with the European Union: the energy transition must be an opportunity to have a fairer society, which allows for cleaner cities but also quality jobs and greater investment for our countries. I thank Commissioner Simson for her visit to our country because we have been able to deepen our joint work on issues such as green hydrogen and storage".

In addition, the visit included meetings with representatives of the public and private sector in the field of renewable energies. These dialogues addressed both best practices and lessons learned in the EU to address similar obstacles, such as the complexities of the green hydrogen market and the need to safeguard investments in this emerging sector.

The event at ECLAC's Santiago headquarters, which brought together experts around the panel discussion: "Navigating the Just Energy Transition: Green hydrogen as a catalyst for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean", facilitated the exchange of ideas and proposals to promote the use of renewable hydrogen as a driver of a just energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. At this meeting, Commissioner Simson and Minister Pardow were accompanied by ECLAC's Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, and representatives of the private sector and academia.

In the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Van Klaveren, Simson referred to the close collaboration in energy matters between the EU and Chile, which is based on the exchange of knowledge, the implementation of joint projects and the promotion of the development of renewable energies. This was a valuable opportunity to discuss the Advanced Framework Agreement and its energy chapter and to explore opportunities for collaboration in this field.

On his side, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto Van Klaveren stated: "We greatly appreciate the visit of the European Commissioner for Energy to Chile, with whom we discussed the various possibilities that the Advanced Framework Agreement between Chile and the European Union provides us. We hope to ratify this agreement soon to continue strengthening cooperation in the fields of renewable energies, just energy transition, and green hydrogen. Chile and the EU have a broad path ahead to continue working closely in this area".

Commissioner Simson concluded her visit to Chile with a tour of Viña Santa Ema, which was one of the winners of the "Ponle Energía a tu Empresa" contest, co-financed by the European Union through the Mitigation Action Facility and implemented by the Chilean Ministry of Energy. This initiative financed the implementation of renewable energy self-consumption systems with partial financing. This recognition allowed the company to install solar panels with a positive impact on the environment and the company's competitiveness. During the visit to the vineyard, the Commissioner highlighted the relevance of international cooperation to promote the development of green opportunities in the business sector.