This chapter delves into evolving policy and regulatory dimensions shaping the emergence of hydrogen in the Latin American energy landscape. With a focus on three regional leaders – Chile, Colombia and Brazil – it explores the distinct strategic paths these countries are charting as they seek to position themselves in the burgeoning hydrogen economy. Chile, Colombia and Brazil, aiming to capitalize on their abundant (renewable) resources, have moved swiftly to outline ambitious hydrogen strategies and legislation. Despite this progress, as the chapter reveals, important regulatory challenges still limit their ability to fully tap the hydrogen well. Even as these obstacles persist, interest in hydrogen projects continues to soar, as exemplified by the numerous developed or in-development pilot projects pragmatically leveraging the existing frameworks. Ultimately, while clean hydrogen promises to usher in an era of sustainable development for Latin America, regulatory efforts matching policy ambitions will continue to be needed to successfully transition from promise to actual production.

As underlined by the EU`s Hydrogen Strategy for a Climate Neutral Europe and the REPowerEU programme, the development of a hydrogen economy is considered of strategic importance for the achievement of the EU Climate goals by both the EU and several of its Member States. As for any socio-technical transition, the development of the hydrogen economy requires careful policy and regulatory drafting, as well as the concrete implementation of projects affecting the living environment of people. Public participation is mandated under international, European and national law to ensure that the hydrogen economy best fits within the environmental and societal needs of the interested regions. This chapter uses the first fully fledged hydrogen valley in Europe as a case study to map the participatory requirements that should be applied in the development of a hydrogen economy and to show how these requirements have not been (fully) respected so far. In doing so, the chapter will provide data for comparative purposes and for the further development of the conceptual and applied frameworks for the hydrogen economy.

Hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel is amenable to utilization in all heat engines, including gas turbines and reciprocating internal combustion engines, which are the most efficient technologies for electric power generation from fossil fuels. Alas, H2 is not an energy resource. It is an energy carrier. Prior to its use as a fuel, it must be produced, stored and/or transported. There are significant problems associated with all three phases of the hydrogen fuel chain. Those aspects will be discussed qualitatively and quantitatively in the remainder of the present chapter.