FRENCH engineering consultancy Setec is to conduct a feasibility study for introducing hydrogen-powered passenger services on the Central Railway project to upgrade the 273km Montevideo - Paso de los Toros route in Uruguay.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP), Setec Ferroviaire and Setec International will consider the deployment of hydrogen trains on the first 60km of the Central Railway, from Montevideo to 25 de Agosto.
The study will examine the potential demand for passenger services, as well as fares income, operating requirements and costs. It will also identify the new infrastructure needed and consider decarbonisation strategies for the rail sector in Uruguay.
Setec is due to complete the study within 12 months, a timescale which may be extended. Grant funding is being provided by the French government through national export credit agency Bpifrance Assurance Export.
The MoU was signed in Montevideo by the minister of industry, energy and mining, Ms Elisa Facio, and the minister of transport and public works, Mr José Luis Falero. Also present were Setec directors, Mr Fabien Paszko and Mr Pierre-Edouard Tisserand, as well as the French ambassador to Uruguay, Mr Jean-Paul Seytre.
Transport is currently responsible for nearly two-thirds of carbon emissions in Uruguay, and the government is looking to decarbonise the sector through the use of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
“We are very committed to decarbonisation at the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining,” Facio says.
“This study will provide us with conclusions on technology and economic impact.”
