eFuels pilot plant in Chile officially opened

The "Haru Oni" pilot plant at Punta Arenas, Chile, was formally launched today in the presence of Chile's Energy Minister, Diego Pardow. Members of the Porsche Executive Board Michael Steiner and Barbara Frenkel ceremoniously fuelled a Porsche 911 with the first synthetic gasoline manufactured at the facility. Petrol engines may operate almost CO2-neutrally thanks to eFuels that are created from water and carbon dioxide using wind energy.

“Porsche is committed to a double-e path: e-mobility and eFuels as a complementary technology. Using eFuels reduces CO2 emissions. Looking at the entire traffic sector, the industrial production of synthetic fuels should keep being pushed forward worldwide. With the eFuels pilot plant, Porsche is playing a leading role in this development,” says Barbara Frenkel, Member of the Executive Board for Procurement at Porsche AG.

“The potential of eFuels is huge. There are currently more than 1.3 billion vehicles with combustion engines worldwide. Many of these will be on the roads for decades to come, and eFuels offer the owners of existing cars a nearly carbon-neutral alternative. As the manufacturer of high-performance, efficient engines, Porsche has a wide range of know-how in the field of fuels,” adds Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Development and Research at Porsche AG.

An annual production of about 130,000 litres of eFuel is anticipated during the pilot period. The fuel will initially be utilized at Porsche Experience Centres and in lighthouse initiatives like the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The project in Chile is expected to reach a projected 55 million litres per year by the middle of the decade after the pilot phase and the initial scale. The capacity is anticipated to be 550 million litres around two years later.

The south of Chile provides the best circumstances to produce eFuels because there is enough wind present to keep the wind turbines running at full capacity 270 days out of the year. Additionally, near to the Strait of Magellan is Punta Arenas. The synthetic eFuel can be distributed utilizing the current infrastructure and transported globally from the port of Cabo Negro much like conventional fuels.

By 2030, Porsche wants to have a CO2-neutral balance sheet along the full value chain. Future all-electric model usage will also feature a CO2-neutral phase. In addition to supporting electromobility, synthetic fuels are a component of the sports car manufacturer's sustainability plan. Porsche has already invested over 100 million USD in the development and production of eFuels. For example, the sports car manufacturer invested 75 million USD in HIF Global LLC in April 2022. This company plans, builds and operates eFuel plants in Chile, USA and Australia.