ACCIONA has begun operating Chile’s first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell generator, following approval from the country’s Superintendent of Electricity and Fuels.
The generator is being deployed as part of a pilot project to replace diesel units with zero-emission alternatives at the Carén reservoir expansion works, carried out for Codelco’s El Teniente Division.
The unit was developed and manufactured by French company EODev and is distributed in Chile by KH2. It is the first hydrogen-based generator of its kind to be used in Chile for off-grid power supply.
ACCIONA said the technology will reduce fossil fuel consumption by around 5,067 litres per quarter, preventing approximately 13.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the same period. With the deployment, the company becomes the first in Chile’s construction sector to integrate zero-emission hydrogen generation into on-site operations.
The initiative forms part of ACCIONA’s wider strategy to cut emissions from construction activities and accelerate the decarbonisation of its projects globally. The company has previously tested hydrogen fuel cell generators at construction sites in Europe, including powering a tower crane during the build of the Norte III Penitentiary Complex in San Sebastián and using a hydrogen generator fuelled by locally reformed green methanol on a road project in Cádiz.
In 2024, ACCIONA acquired a zero-emission GEH₂® hydrogen fuel cell generator after testing it at the Centenario Bridge expansion works in Seville, becoming the first Spanish construction company to incorporate this type of technology on an active worksite.
