Discussions on the future of local transport in large cities, visits to large research institutions and new partnerships in the field of hydrogen: This weekend, Hamburg’s Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) is setting off on a delegation trip to Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Hamburg has long had close ties to South America, and large companies such as Aurubis and Hapag-Lloyd are investing here.
The trip should also be about deepening the relationship between the city and the countries. The focus is on future topics such as climate protection, energy transition and sustainable urban development. For Tschentscher it is the beginning of many journeys, from November Hamburg’s mayor will take over the presidency of the Bundesrat until 2023.
A focus of the week-long trip is cooperation in the hydrogen economy and the import of “green” hydrogen from Latin America. “Many regions of Latin America have excellent conditions for the production and export of ‘green’ hydrogen. They are therefore ideal partners for Hamburg and for our port, which we want to expand into a European hydrogen hub,” said Mayor Tschentscher.
There is also a focus on other energy issues, and countries like Uruguay can set an example here. The country has managed to cover almost all of its energy needs from renewable energies, mainly with wind farms. Tschentscher is accompanied by State Councilor Almut Möller, State Councilor Michael Pollmann and a 20-strong Hamburg business delegation.
The week-long trip to Buenos Aires (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Santiago de Chile begins with a meeting with the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, and talks with representatives of the Argentine government on Argentina’s national hydrogen strategy.
The delegation will then travel to Montevideo, where Tschentscher will meet the Uruguayan Minister for Industry, Energy and Mining, Omar Paganini, on Tuesday. Meetings with the governor of the metropolitan region of Santiago de Chile, Claudio Orrego, will follow on Thursday. The trip ends on Friday with a visit to the German School in Santiago de Chile and the University of Chile. On August 27th the delegation travels back.
