Strengthening the National Low Emissions Hydrogen Policy

The Green Banking program began a new phase in Brazil and Colombia in 2025. Present in six countries, the Renewables Academy (RENAC) project, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) via the International Climate Initiative (IKI), seeks to expand the capacity of banks, investors, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to structure projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency, green hydrogen, and storage.

During 2025, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) H2-diplo Decarbonization Diplomacy project has held events with public counterparts to develop the CONPES National Hydrogen Policy in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Cartagena.

In Bogotá, there were two workshops, one with the public sector and another with the private sector, gathering important inputs for the joint development of actions in the document of the National Council for Economic and Social Policy (CONPES), a planning body that advises the national government on the country’s development.

In Medellín, the counterparts visited the projects and discussed ways to overcome gaps in the development and scalability of projects, together with actors such as Hevolución, Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), Celsia, and the University of Antioquia, among others.

In Cali, progress on the CONPES document was presented and discussed, and the main actors were brought together for the implementation of the Valle del Cauca Hub with roundtables on fertilizers, SAF, infrastructure, and governance, in which the main local actors participated.

In Cartagena, within the framework of the Third H2 and Energy Efficiency Congress of the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (ANDI), visits were made to learn about the progress of Ecopetrol, with the 5 MW Coral electrolysis project, and Promigas. Their renewable gas strategy was reviewed, including biogas and biomethane, but also incorporating innovation with a robot for infrastructure inspection.

During the Congress, Gina Lagunes, responsible for implementing the H2-diplo project in Colombia, gave a presentation entitled “Decarbonization Diplomacy between Colombia and Germany.” H2-diplo Decarbonization Diplomacy is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office with funds from the International Climate Initiative and implemented by the German Development Cooperation GIZ.