The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) and the Costa Rican Hydrogen Association (ACH2) have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote cooperation between the two countries in the development of zero-emission technologies. that the two countries consider key to the fight against the climate crisis.
Canada is one of the top 10 hydrogen producers in the world and in the country there are more than 100 leading companies in hydrogen technology and fuel cells that in 2017 employed more than 2,100 people and generated revenues of more than 200 million Canadian dollars (160 million US dollars) per year.
CHFCA President and CEO Mark Kirby said in a statement that the agreement with ACH2 “will foster collaboration between the hydrogen and fuel cell sectors in Costa Rica and Canada, helping both countries achieve their climate goals at the same time. while promoting international trade and supply chains. ‘
For his part, the president of ACH2, Javier Bonilla Herrera, declared that the agreement “represents a huge opportunity” for ACH2, recognizing that they are “excited” to collaborate and share their knowledge with CHFCA.
A key player
Bonilla Herrera added that “Costa Rica is emerging as a key player in the global hydrogen value chain,” for which he said he was determined “to achieve the objectives embodied in this memorandum.”
Both CHFCA and ACH2 are non-profit organizations whose purpose is to promote the use of hydrogen as a source of energy.
Constructive cooperation
The Costa Rican ambassador to Canada, Mauricio Ortiz, valued the agreement as “a basic element for constructive future actions towards the incorporation of the mutual cooperation of the public and private sectors of both countries.”
In 2019, Costa Rica launched an ambitious National Plan for the Decarbonization of the economy with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through the modernization and electrification of public transport, the research of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and the expansion of the forest mass of the country.
In 2020, for the sixth consecutive year, Costa Rica generated at least 98% of its electricity from renewable sources. Last year, the percentage was exactly 99.78%, according to data from the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE).
The Central American country, with a population of 5 million people, has about 40 power generation plants and a coverage of electricity service of 99.4%. In December 2020, after three years of study and analysis, Canada launched a program for the use of hydrogen so that, like Costa Rica, in 2050 the North American country reaches carbon neutrality. One of the strategies of the program is international collaboration in the development and use of hydrogen technologies.
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