Namibia intends to take advantage of its abundant solar and wind resources to produce green hydrogen at a competitive cost, and position itself as a renewable energy hub in Africa.
The Belgian Shipping Company (CMB) plans to invest $3.5 billion in a decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia production complex in Namibia in association with a local partner, Bloomberg reported this Thursday, May 2, 2024, citing a director of the Antwerp maritime transport group.
King Philippe of Belgium, who has been making an official visit to Namibia since April 29, visited the port of Walvis Bay this Thursday, where the group controlled by the Belgian Saverys family began construction in September 2023 of a first green hydrogen production station.
The first phase of the project led by the company Cleanergy, a joint venture between the CMB group and the Namibian conglomerate Ohlthaver & List, is expected to enter production during the fourth quarter of 2024.
The hydrogen plant will have an initial production capacity of 400 kilograms of hydrogen per day, using a 5 megawatt solar plant located near the port town of Walvis Bay.
“Our customers are asking us to clean up and make sure we no longer emit carbon dioxide. We must therefore find an alternative to diesel. We wanted to be in a country where there is an abundance of cheap renewable energy, and Namibia is that country,” CMB Group chief executive Alexander Saverys (pictured) told Bloomberg.
According to him, the green hydrogen production station “will be gradually expanded and followed by the establishment of a green ammonia plant and terminal, which will bring the total cost of the project to around 3.5 billion dollars, over the next five years.
Namibia, one of the sunniest and least densely populated countries in the world, wants to exploit its vast solar and wind energy potential to produce green hydrogen and position itself as a renewable energy hub in Africa.
The Namibian government had already signed, in June 2023, an agreement with the Franco-German consortium Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and other partners providing for the launch of a giant green hydrogen production complex in the country, for an investment estimated at 10 billion dollars. Through this megaproject, Namibia hopes to become Africa’s first carbon-neutral economy and a major exporter of clean energy.
