Tuesday, September 1st 2026 - 10:32 UTC
Orsi said on Friday in Paysandú that Argentina had withdrawn “the criminal complaint” filed against the project
The governments of Uruguay and Argentina are trying to contain tensions surrounding the green hydrogen and synthetic fuels plant that HIF Global plans to build in the Uruguayan department of Paysandú, on the Uruguay river, after a statement by President Yamandú Orsi drew three consecutive denials from the Argentine side.
The project, valued at some 5.4 billion dollars and presented as the largest foreign investment in Uruguay's history, would produce e-fuels from green hydrogen generated with renewable energy and carbon dioxide sourced from biomass chains. It envisages around 3,000 direct jobs and a first phase of about 1 billion dollars.
The original location, some three kilometres from the Entre Ríos city of Colón and facing its shoreline, drew objections in Argentina, led by Entre Ríos governor Rogelio Frigerio, over the potential visual impact on tourism and pollution of the waterway. After bilateral negotiations that included two meetings at Uruguay's foreign ministry, in November and April, the parties agreed to relocate the plant to a site belonging to the state oil company Ancap.
