Would green hydrogen be a drain on Uruguay's water sources?
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2024
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The government of Uruguay has launched ambitious plans to make hydrogen and green fuels.
The country generates far more of its electricity from renewables than most countries - Uruguay produces more than 90% of its electricity from sustainable resources, like wind. And that, the government says, puts it in a good position to start producing green hydrogen.
Proponents of green hydrogen production in Uruguay say it will be good for the planet and the country's economy, but could it use too much water?
(Picture: Mauricio Caro, a farmer in Uruguay. He worries that if water is taken from the local aquifer to make green fuels, farmers will run short. Credit: Grace Livingstone/BBC)
Presented and produced by Grace Livingstone
Transcript
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| 0:23.8 | Hello. Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Hello, I'm Grace Livingstone. |
| 0:26.5 | On today's Business Daily, we're talking about green hydrogen. |
| 0:30.8 | Is it the environmentally friendly fuel of the future? |
| 0:34.8 | I've been to Uruguay, where the government says green hydrogen and green |
| 0:39.1 | fuels would be good for the planet and the country's economy. But some are worried about the |
| 0:45.3 | impact on Uruguay's water sources. I'm in a wind farm in southern Uruguay next to an |
| 0:53.1 | enormous wind turbine. |
| 0:55.2 | You can hear the blades slicing the air above my head. |
| 0:59.8 | Uruguay produces more than 90% of its electricity from renewable sources like wind. |
| 1:07.4 | And I'm with Martin Bokard, who's the president of the Association of Private Electricity Generators here in Uruguay. |
| 1:16.2 | Hi, Martin. |
| 1:16.8 | Hello, Grace. Welcome to the Florida Wind Farm. |
| 1:19.6 | Uruguay used to import fossil fuels to generate electricity, as well as using hydropower. |
| 1:26.3 | A state-owned company generated all of the country's electricity. |
| 1:30.3 | But in 2008, the government decided to switch completely to renewables |
| 1:35.1 | and encouraged private companies to invest. |
... |
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