Belgian shipping company, Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB-Tech), plans to build a clean ammonia bunkering facility at Walvis Bay at a cost of more than N$44 billion (€2.2 billion) in partnership with the Ohlthaver & List Group.
“On September 28, 2023, this partnership is expected to reveal plans to construct their first Namibian Green Hydrogen multi-modal service station,” President Hage Geingob told the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He said Namibia is working on the development of carbon-neutral maritime value chains, including production, transportation, storage, and consumption of clean fuels and carbon-free products made in the country.
“Shipping, which is yet another hard-to-abate sector, will also need to deploy innovative solutions. This is why Namibia is now developing green shipping corridors with Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping as we look to map and fund the development of carbon-neutral maritime value chains, including production, transportation, storage, and consumption of the clean fuels and carbon-free products made in Namibia and traded with the world,” Geingob said.
He noted that developing a new synthetic fuels industry in Namibia is not just an opportunity to fight climate change but offers an unparalleled opportunity for green industrialization.
“Namibia has now attracted new industries that are looking to make use of the cheap clean electricity and molecules produced in Namibia. One such pioneering example is the Oshivela project by HyIron, which plans to use Namibian-produced green hydrogen to deliver the first industrial production of iron at net-zero emissions,” he said.
Geingob revealed that Namibia has projects under development, looking to deploy over N$375 billion (US$20 billion) to develop large-scale green hydrogen projects that would provide the world with clean molecules needed to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.
“We have more than five such projects under development, looking to deploy more than 20 billion US dollars to develop our world-class renewable energy potential to give our future generations a fighting chance against a warming planet,” he said.
The Oshivela project, scheduled to commence in late 2024, is one of the first industrial production of iron with net-zero emissions, based on HyIron technology, is set to be established in Namibia with an initial investment of N$600 million.
The project aims to achieve an annual output of 15,000 tonnes of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) in its initial phase, generating approximately 60 employment opportunities.