Namibia breaks ground on Africa’s first green iron facility
The Oshivela project in the west of the country is backed by the German government
07 November 2023 - 17:55
byNyasha Nyaungwa
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Namibia is developing the world’s first industrial production of iron at zero emissions through the HyIron Oshivela Project. Picture: TWITTER
Windhoek — Namibia began construction on Monday of Africa’s first decarbonised iron plant, to be powered exclusively by green hydrogen, the country’s investment promotion body said.
Steelmaking is one of the most polluting industries in the world and the industry is seeking to shift away from coal-fired plants and towards the use of decarbonised iron.
The Oshivela project in western Namibia is backed by the German federal government, which has injected €13m, and will use renewable energy to generate 15,000 tonnes of iron per year with no carbon emissions, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board said in a statement.
Namibia last year became the first African country to sign an agreement with the EU to supply the bloc with green hydrogen and minerals needed for clean energy technology.
Production at the plant is set to begin in the final quarter of 2024, with plans eventually to ramp up production to 1-million tonnes of green iron a year.
The iron produced at the plant can also be used as a preliminary product in steel production in Germany to manufacture green steel for the production of wind turbines or vehicles, said Rainer Baake, special envoy for German-Namibian climate and energy co-operation.
The project’s developers, a consortium of German and Namibian companies, said the plant will use HyIron technology, which processes iron ore in a rotary kiln with the help of green hydrogen.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Namibia breaks ground on Africa’s first green iron facility
The Oshivela project in the west of the country is backed by the German government
Windhoek — Namibia began construction on Monday of Africa’s first decarbonised iron plant, to be powered exclusively by green hydrogen, the country’s investment promotion body said.
Steelmaking is one of the most polluting industries in the world and the industry is seeking to shift away from coal-fired plants and towards the use of decarbonised iron.
The Oshivela project in western Namibia is backed by the German federal government, which has injected €13m, and will use renewable energy to generate 15,000 tonnes of iron per year with no carbon emissions, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board said in a statement.
Namibia last year became the first African country to sign an agreement with the EU to supply the bloc with green hydrogen and minerals needed for clean energy technology.
Production at the plant is set to begin in the final quarter of 2024, with plans eventually to ramp up production to 1-million tonnes of green iron a year.
The iron produced at the plant can also be used as a preliminary product in steel production in Germany to manufacture green steel for the production of wind turbines or vehicles, said Rainer Baake, special envoy for German-Namibian climate and energy co-operation.
The project’s developers, a consortium of German and Namibian companies, said the plant will use HyIron technology, which processes iron ore in a rotary kiln with the help of green hydrogen.
Reuters
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