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The event featured the participation of the Secretary of Energy of the Ministry of Economy of the Nation, Flavia Royón, and during its course, the guidelines for sustainable development of this economy were presented, along with the opportunities for industrial development, innovation, and global trade for the 2030-2050 horizon

The president of the Port of Bahía Blanca Consortium, Federico Susbielles, stated: "It is clear that this issue must have a key role on the agenda, with centrality, not only for the present but fundamentally for the future in terms of investments, production, exports, and job creation." I want to highlight the perspective of strategic planning and public policies, which are two relevant requirements when interacting with private sectors. Besides, the LNG law currently in Congress is very important because it will provide us with a framework of predictability.”

Later that day, Royón stated: "The world has changed, and today the energy transition is pivotal in the global economy." The world is discussing energy security. Argentina has made its commitments regarding emission reductions, and beyond the fact that we clearly have to take care of the environment, the energy transition is also an opportunity for development," he added, "the energy transition allows us to have a local and federal perspective on the energy development of our country." A transition that must be carried out in an orderly manner, in accordance with our competencies, has to be sustainable and just."

Hydrogen is an industrial product whose production critically depends on the quality of natural resources. Argentina's competitive advantage in this new economy lies precisely on integrating natural advantages and artificial advantages, based on industrial, scientific, technological capabilities, and Argentine workforce. In this context, the role of Bahía Blanca represents a potential hydrogen hub due to the the Port, the development of the petrochemical hub, its industry, the system of science, technology, and its universities.

Verónica Robert, Undersecretary of Development Strategy, also participated in the meeting and stated that "very few places are better than Bahía Blanca to talk about hydrogen, because it is where most of the current hydrogen production is concentrated and therefore the knowledge, the necessary capabilities to manage such a complex molecule." We have a new paradigm ahead of us that opens opportunities towards new value chains, and from here, we must know how to project ourselves intelligently in this regard.

In the face of climate change and the agreements signed by numerous countries, a process of energy transition and reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) is underway worldwide, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality goals by 2050. Meeting these goals involves radically transforming the energy matrix, the productive structure, and consumption patterns, which will require an unprecedented effort in technological and productive development.

In this regard, Susbielles emphasized: "Bahía Blanca and its port have been coworking with national agencies, our port is the only one in the country with an innovation area, and from there we have been working very closely with our universities and CONICET on this matter." We have no doubt about innovation being the future, Bahía Blanca is ready for this challenge for our country.”