Student Spotlight: Ganis Bustami's Hands-On Experience in Chile’s Green Hydrogen Sector
Interested in Chile’s sustainable development agenda, he reached out to the Santiago Center.
Ganis Bustami, a student in the M.S. in Sustainability Management at Columbia University, is currently interning at Fundación Chile. He reached out to the Santiago Center back in February 2024, seeking an internship that would immerse him in South American culture and development. He was particularly interested in understanding Chile's sustainable development agenda and comparing it to practices in his home country of Indonesia.
Given Bustami’s diverse academic and professional background in law, communications, management, and finance, as well as his interest in sustainability, energy transition, circular economy, and social impact projects, the Santiago Center connected him with Fundación Chile, a public-private nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Chile’s sustainable development. They found his profile appealing and offered him a position as a Green Hydrogen Investment Analyst Intern at ChileGlobal Ventures, the Foundation’s venture capital division, which is structuring an investment fund aimed at mobilizing financial resources for green hydrogen projects in the development stage.
Since May, Ganis has been working remotely with Andrés Labbé, Director of Investment in Green Hydrogen at ChileGlobal Ventures, supporting the team in developing the business plan and marketing materials for the capital-raising process with potential investors.
"Working with Andrés has been a great experience," he assures. "I’m currently involved in structuring a potential deal for an innovative financial instrument called blended finance for Green Fuels Project Development in the Latin America Region." "Our goal is to establish a fund with financing partners who will invest in developing green fuels, primarily in the form of green hydrogen. The aim is to make these projects financially viable. All of this will culminate in an investment plan that will be presented to potential investors," he adds.
While currently working virtually, Ganis is exploring a potential field visit to the Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region in August. He has applied for a grant from the School of Professional Studies to help fund this trip. If awarded, the trip would include visits to both Santiago and Magallanes, a region in Patagonia emerging as a green hydrogen hub in Chile.
After graduating with a Law degree from the University of Indonesia in 2015, Ganis worked for several years at PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero), Indonesia's development finance institution. There, he played a significant role in the development of the country’s green energy sector. His contributions include advocating policies for renewable energy financing and conducting a strategic communication agenda for Indonesia’s Energy Transition Mechanism Country Platform.
About Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen is produced through the electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power. During this process, renewable energy is used to separate water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. It is considered “green” because it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions and is a clean and sustainable energy source.
Green hydrogen serves as an alternative to fossil fuels in various applications, including electricity generation, transportation, and chemical production. However, its production is still relatively expensive and requires significant investment in infrastructure and technology. As production processes become more efficient and cost-effective, the use of green hydrogen is expected to increase, significantly impacting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
To promote the development of this industry in Chile and position the country among the world's leading producers of green hydrogen, the Chilean government has developed a 2023-2030 Action Plan. This plan strives to balance economic growth with environmental protection and respect for local communities.