Cartagena refinery © Ecopetrol
Germany is supporting Colombia’s largest refiner to carry out feasibility studies for a green hydrogen-based sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) pilot project.
The German Cooperation for Development (GIZ) and state-owned oil and gas firm Ecopetrol will work on feasibility and engineering studies for a power-to-liquid fuels plant.
Over the next two years, the pair will assess the technical and economic viability of the plant, which could be built alongside Ecopetrol’s existing at its Cartagena refinery to form what could be one of the country’s first e-SAF projects.
The US-made electrolyser began being installed last year, with plans to produce up to 800 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, replacing a portion of the refinery’s grey hydrogen consumption.
Ecopetrol said GIZ will contribute technical knowledge and international power-to-X technology experience to the feasibility studies.
E-SAFs are produced by combining green hydrogen with captured carbon dioxide (CO2) through a chemical synthesis process.
The organisations have not stated where the CO2 would be sourced from or a timeline for any subsequent project.
Like other Latin American countries, Colombia has emerged as a prospective green hydrogen producer due to its strong renewable energy resources and access to international shipping routes, attracting interest from potential European importers.
The support reflects Germany’s broader strategy of developing overseas hydrogen and e-fuel supply chains to meet future import requirements.
Germany has increasingly been investing in and supporting overseas green hydrogen projects, as the country looks to shore up future fuel supplies as part of its efforts to replace Russian gas.
Under the previous administration, its national hydrogen strategy expected up to hydrogen demand to be met via imports.
The state-backed funding scheme H2Global is also undertaking double-sided auctions to buy green molecules globally at the lowest prices and resell them into European markets, with the difference covered by public funding.
