The INNA project: implications on the environmental governance and regulatory framework of renewable hydrogen in Chile

This research examines Chile's environmental governance and regulatory framework on renewable energy regarding the “Integrated Infrastructure Project for the Generation of Hydrogen and Green Ammonia - INNA”, a large-scale industrial energy complex planned to be developed in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It presents a literature review on the opportunities and environmental challenges of developing green hydrogen in Chile regarding INNA's environmental impact assessment. It focuses on the environmental impact of the project from increased light pollution in areas where astronomical observatories are located and illustrates how the environmental governance—regulatory framework and institutional dynamics—played a crucial role in the environmental evaluation process. By applying Bennett and Satterfield's framework, this study analyzes the relevant institutional and regulatory aspects of the INNA project to conclude that Chile's environmental governance dynamics contributed to the decision to withdraw the project.