MAE appoints Cristian Lühr Álava as its new VP of Energy

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Cristian Lühr
  • The executive joins the company to lead the energy supply strategy of the Volta green hydrogen and green ammonia project, which is currently under environmental assessment.
  • The Volta Project contemplates a green ammonia production plant in Mejillones with an approximate capacity of 600,000 [tons/year], divided into two stages of close to 300,000 [tons/year] each, with the first deliveries of green ammonia by the end of 2027

March 4, 2024- MAE announced the incorporation of Cristián Lühr Álava as the new VP of Energy to lead the energy supply strategy of its Volta green hydrogen and ammonia project in Mejillones, which recently entered into environmental assessment.

Lühr will supervise the future bidding processes for energy supply and the development of renewable energy projects, such as the 600 MW solar park that the company intends to install to supply energy for the green ammonia plant.

The executive has broad experience in the energy sector, including his more than 15 years at the Energy National Commission (Comisión Nacional de Energía) as an engineer of the energy department, where he participated in various sizing and cost studies of the distribution and sub-transmission segments. Likewise, he led the tariff determination process for regulated clients of the national electric grid system. Later, in the regulation department of the same organism, he became Head of Electrical Bidding Processes, a key area in promoting the insertion and development of renewable energies in the country's energy matrix.

He is a civil industrial electrical engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC), an MSC in Economics from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona, and Energy Management MBA from the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB).

Gonzalo Moyano, CEO of MAE, said: "Cristian Lühr's incorporation is a great contribution to MAE and the Volta Project, which includes the application of high technical and environmental standards. His experience in the energy sector will further enhance our team working on this pioneering initiative for the green hydrogen and green ammonia industry in Chile, and that will position Mejillones and the region of Antofagasta as a key development pole for a very relevant sector in the decarbonization of the economy. His incorporation will allow us to continue advancing and fulfilling our strategic and operational goals."

About Volta Project

MAE's green hydrogen and green ammonia Volta Project was recently declared admissible after entering into the Environmental Assessment System through an Environmental Impact Study (EIA, Spanish acronym).

The Volta Project contemplates an investment of USD 2.5 billion to construct a green ammonia plant in Mejillones, with an approximate production of 600,000 [tons/year] in two stages of nearly 300,000 [tons/year] each.

For energy supply, a 600 MW solar park is planned, while for water supply, the company intends to obtain water from existing desalination plants with approved environmental permits. Likewise, based on circular economy principles, the company expects to use wastewater from Mejillones that is currently discharged into the sea to help clean the bay.