Namibia is moving to scale up its green hydrogen industry, with a pilot facility in Walvis Bay being used to test the technology and its commercial potential.
Siemens Sub-Saharan Africa CEO Sabine Dall’Omo explained the facility combines solar power, hydrogen production and green ammonia, which can be used for industrial purposes and as a potential fuel for transport.
Described as a first for Africa, Dall’Omo said the project could play an important role in reducing emissions from shipping, with Walvis Bay strategically positioned to serve trucks, trains and vessels.
“Currently they’re in the process of tendering for a much bigger site. It’s 140 megawatts, and it will be the production line, which also has a tank farm, where Walvis Bay will then be a storage facility where vessels can refill on the route they go to.
“The main reason is that, at the moment, this project really takes off because you see that there is less oil and gas supply because of the situation we have in the Strait of Hormuz… and obviously that increases the cost for the shipping industry and the reliability of having that kind of resource permanently available.”
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The current pilot remains expensive, with Dall’Omo saying green ammonia costs about five times more than conventional ammonia.
But she believes scaling up production could bring costs down significantly, particularly as traditional fuel prices rise.
According to Dall’Omo, the Walvis Bay project has already provided proof that the technology can be scaled, potentially making Namibia an important alternative fuel and refuelling hub.
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