Chile Greenlights $2.5B Green Ammonia Plant Using Wastewater

A small coastal city's wastewater is about to power one of the world's most ambitious clean energy projects.

Chile's $2.5 billion Volta Project just cleared its final environmental hurdle, setting the stage for construction to begin in 2027 in the Antofagasta region. The facility will do something remarkable: take 100% of Mejillones' municipal wastewater (currently dumped into the ocean) and turn it into green hydrogen, then synthesize that into 620,000 tonnes of green ammonia every year.

The numbers tell an incredible story. A 600-megawatt solar park with battery storage will power the entire operation. When fully operational by 2029, the plant will cut over 1 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. That's like taking 200,000 cars off the road permanently.

Ítalo Olivares, Vice President of Engineering at Mejillones Ammonia Energy, says domestic needs come first. "It is important that Volta can demonstrate concrete progress in the execution of the first projects in this new industry," he explained. Chile is betting big on this vision, aiming for 25 gigawatts of green hydrogen capacity under its national strategy.

The timing couldn't be better. Chile recently announced $2.8 billion in tax credits to boost green hydrogen production and demand. The Volta Project will anchor the Biobío region's growing clean energy cluster and create commercial pathways to export markets in Europe and Asia.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just about one facility. Chile is positioning itself as a low-cost green energy supplier for continents hungry for clean alternatives. The country's abundant solar resources and innovative wastewater reuse model could become a blueprint for coastal nations worldwide.

The project solves two problems at once: preventing ocean pollution while generating carbon-free fuel. That closed-loop system represents the kind of creative thinking the clean energy transition desperately needs. Other regions watching Chile's progress might soon follow suit, turning their own wastewater from a disposal problem into an energy solution.

The Volta Project proves that environmental wins don't require sacrifice. They require imagination, investment, and the courage to think differently about resources we've long taken for granted.

Chile is showing the world what happens when a country commits fully to a clean energy future.