The government signed a memorandum of understanding with the French consortium Setec to study the feasibility of a train green hydrogen, within the framework of the second energy transition promoted by the administration led by the president Luis Lacalle Pou.
The initiative foresees that these trains operate in the first 60 kilometers of the Central Railway, whose opening date is scheduled for April, with the aim of connecting the cities of cannelloni and August 25th with Montevideo.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Elisa Facio, together with its counterpart from Transportation and Public Works, José Luis Falero, and representatives of Setec.
What does the study consist of?
The study of viability It will last, in principle, 12 months, with financing from the French government. It will address aspects such as traffic, the demand for passenger transport services, income, railway operations, necessary infrastructure, costs, economic analysis and strategies for the decarbonization of the sector.
“It is a diagnosis of the situation of the possibilities of railway development in the short and medium term in the country,” he stated. Falero and valued that it is a consequence of the reactivation of this means of transport after the incorporation of the Central Railway.
The owner of the MTOP It was hoped that the progress of the project could serve to improve the network in other parts of the country and expressed that “within the framework of the State policy that implies working with emphasis on the environmental issues, It is necessary to study the impact generated by permanent bus mobility between Montevideo and the metropolitan area, in addition to the vehicular overload on streets, roads and routes.”
Green hydrogen takes center stage in Uruguay
To its turn, Facio He stressed that the country is destined to second energy transition, which aims to decarbonize industry and transportation to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
“We work on the production of green hydrogen and its derivatives as a new vector for domestic use and export,” he reviewed, days after the signing of the memorandum of understanding with HIF Global for the largest investment in history to build a green hydrogen plant in Paysandu.
“The possibility of implementing a passenger train powered by green hydrogen unites all these aspects,” highlighted Facio, after an event in which the French ambassador, Jean-Paul Seytre.
Source: Ambito
