Total Eren – the renewable developer part-owned by oil supermajor TotalEnergies – unveiled plans for a 10GW wind project to power green hydrogen and ammonia production in Chile.

The developer has launched studies to scope out the massive development in the Magallanes region of southern Chile, an area where it has secured land and said boasts “the best onshore wind conditions” in the world and access to the sea for desalination, and ports to export green fuels produced by up to 8GW of accompanying electrolyser capacity and an ammonia plant.

The developer hopes after the studies to begin work on the H2 Magallanes project in 2025 with first production by 2027. It expects to produce 800,000 tonnes of green hydrogen and export 4.4 million tonnes of ammonia a year.

Along with Australia and the Middle East, South America’s available land and excellent renewable resources have made it a contender for massive green hydrogen projects due to kick-in in the second half of the decade.

Chile has set out its stall to be a leader in the energy transition, with an ambition to host 25GW of green hydrogen production capacity by the end of the decade.

Fabienne Demol, global head of business development of Total Eren, said: “We are delighted to present this large-scale green hydrogen project, a pioneering initiative that we are proud to officially launch today in Chile’s Punta Arenas.

“I am eager to begin construction to contribute to Chile’s ambition of becoming a top destination for green hydrogen investment in Latin America and meet the needs of our customers worldwide.”

France-based TotalEnergies owns a near-30% share of Total Eren.