CNH2 participates in the European Union-Panama collaborative meetings to boost green hydrogen economy
A delegation from the Spanish National Hydrogen Centre has participated in a mission to Panama for offering specialised training workshops on the regulatory framework.
Ciudad de Panamá. 14th June 2024. The Human Capital developing action around the green hydrogen economy (H2v) and its derivative in Panama, jointly promoted by the European Union -through the Euroclima Programme and within the framework of the Global Gateway strategy- and the Government of Panama -through the National Energy Secretariat (SNE)- has taken a decisive step with the Spanish National Hydrogen Centre in order to offer specialised training workshops to different institutions of Panama’s public sector.
The objective of this action is to support the SNE in the implementation of the National Green Hydrogen and Derivatives Strategy (ENHIVE), which seeks to position Panama within the global route of green hydrogen and its derivatives, taking advantage of the country’s privileged geographical location and infrastructure. This strategy has set a goal of producing 500,000 tonnes of hydrogen in the country by 2030.
Specifically, the collaboration of the Spanish National Hydrogen Centre, which already provided basic virtual training last May, is focused on the development of a draft regulatory framework for green hydrogen and its derivatives in Panama. To this end, training sessions have been developed for more than a hundred officials from different key institutional actors in the development of the action, which will also serve for more advanced learning on the market, safety and applications of green hydrogen in the naval and railway sector.
These actors include the SNE, the Ministry of Environment, the Panama Canal Authority, the Panama Maritime Port Authority, the Centre for Innovation, Research and Hydro-environmental Technology, the Ministries of the Presidency and Commerce and Industry, the Fire Brigade, the Technological University of Panama (UTP) and the Specialised Higher Technical Institute (ITSE).
The Ambassador of the European Union in Panama, Izabela Matusz, has assured that “with this action that we presented last November and that now accelerates its implementation, the European Union expands its collaboration with the climate policies of the Government of Panama. This collaboration is particularly intense in the field of energy transition, the process of replacing fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emitters with renewable and non-carbon emitting energy sources”.
For her part, Rosilena Lindo, National Secretary of Energy, said that “Panama has enormous potential to become a leader in clean energy and green hydrogen, becoming a fundamental part of the global supply chain for all economies. And to take advantage of this new market and become a hydrogen country, the development of technical, institutional and financial capacities, both in the field of climate action as well as in the field of economics and technology”.
This European Union action in Panama is implemented through the European agencies Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Políticas Públicas (FIIAPP, an entity of the Spanish Cooperation) and the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (GIZ); which also provide assistance in the training of workers for the development of each link in the value chain of H2v and derivatives; and the development of the necessary technical-professional capacities – both in public and private actors as well as in academia – to meet the demands of the labour market for green hydrogen and its derivatives in Panama; respectively.
The new Euroclima Panama Action Plan, which was presented in May, will mobilise 1.68 million euros for technical cooperation and pilot actions on climate finance, the reduction of climate vulnerabilities in the watersheds of the Panama Canal, and the country’s sustainable energy transition.
About Euroclima
Euroclima is the regional cooperation programme that fosters the strategic partnership between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, based on shared values and a commitment to jointly address climate change and biodiversity loss.
Euroclima is co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It seeks to contribute to a sustainable, resilient and inclusive transition through climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, including protection, restoration, biodiversity conservation and the promotion of the circular economy.
It is part of the renewed Agenda for Relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean and is part of the Global Gateway strategy that promotes investments and financing in relevant sectors, as well as the use of other instruments of the EU and its Member States to achieve more sustainable, just and interconnected societies.
It is implemented in the spirit of Team Europe, through the synergic work of eight agencies: Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), AFD Group: Agence Française de Développement (AFD) / Expertise France (EF), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Políticas Públicas (FIIAPP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).