8 Nov 2023
A ground-breaking ceremony, for the construction of Africa’s first decarbonised iron manufacturing plant by means of green hydrogen took place near Arandis in Namibia's Erongo Region on 06 November 2023. This ushered in a new era of industrialisation.
The Oshivela pilot project on the Farm Bloemhof is supported by 13 million euros from the German federal government and is carried out by HyIron, a consortium of German companies with a Namibian partner. The companies are CO2Grab GmbH, TS Elino GmbH and LSF GmbH.
Oshivela” means iron in the Oshindonga language.
The company HyIron plans to generate 15,000 tonnes of green iron annually from nearby reserves without emitting any carbon through electrolysis and a reduction process.
The technology was developed in Germany. The produced 'sponge' iron will be shipped via the port of Walvis Bay to Germany where steel will be manufactured from it. Investment of some 600 million Namibian dollars is required for the first phase.
The special envoy for German-Namibian climate and energy cooperation, said that the green iron from Namibia - once converted to steel – could be crucial to produce wind turbines and electric vehicles.
Namibia's minister in the office of the president, Christine //Hoëbes, said this project would support the country's goal to reach net zero emissions.
“The HyIron Oshivela project is a step towards building on our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable development, because the government has committed to attain net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” she said.
According to Johannes Michels, managing director of HyIron and the local partner of the consortium, the project will create jobs and at the same time new skills would be transferred once the plant is up and running.
The first production of green iron is envisaged for the end of 2024.
Brigitte Weidlich
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