Abstract

Chile has strategies and goals for the coming years regarding green hydrogen, with its mining industries advancing in the energy transition process with the use of renewable energy. In this context, this article aims to review and analyze the appropriate international standards for the development of hydrogen energy in the Chilean mining sector, surveying the potential for green hydrogen production and the integration of technologies. International expertise in hydrogen standards, national strategies, and relevant mining projects, are organized by countries such as Australia, Canada, China and South Africa. Additionally, the safety practices of hydrogen technologies collected in technical standards are grouped, classified, and discussed. The results show that hydrogen would allow the decarbonization of mining activity as an electrical backup system, and through its incorporation into mobile and stationary equipment, generation, transport, blasting, and smelting. Also, it highlights that hydrogen standards and protocols are required related to materials, leak safety and ventilation, equipment, infrastructure, and operation at each stage of the value chain (production, storage, distribution, and final application). In addition, appropriate operational safety practices are recommended, such as the purity of hydrogen for fuel cell applications (more than 99%), the upper limit of the amount of sulfur content (0.4%), the maximum tolerance of hydrogen in a closed space, among others. The final remarks and outlook identified opportunities for Chile, as well as future directions, defining that it is imperative to prioritize the adoption of existing international standards to ensure long-term success and competitiveness.