Chilean Haru Oni plant produces synthetic eFuel using wind and CO2

The Haru Oni plant in Punta Arenas, Chile, is producing synthetic gasoline, known as eFuel, using wind energy, desalinated seawater, and carbon dioxide captured from the air. Operated by HIF Global in partnership with Porsche, the facility aims to provide a carbon-neutral alternative for the world's existing fleet of over 1.3 billion internal combustion engine vehicles.

The production process utilizes strong, consistent winds in the Patagonian region to power wind turbines. This electricity drives the electrolysis of desalinated water to extract hydrogen, which is then combined with CO2 captured from the atmosphere to create methanol and subsequently synthetic gasoline. To produce one liter of eFuel, the system requires approximately three liters of desalinated water and CO2 extracted from 6,000 cubic meters of air.

While burning eFuel still releases CO2 from the exhaust, the process seeks to achieve near-carbon neutrality by recycling atmospheric carbon rather than introducing new fossil carbon into the cycle. The project has the potential to reach an annual production capacity of 550 million liters.