Africa’s first hydrogen power plant to produce electricity by 2024

Namibia at the moment imports greater than a 3rd of its energy from neighbouring South Africa.

President of Namibia Hage Gottfried Geingob speaks throughout the UN Local weather Change Convention COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. [File: Hannah McKay/AP]

French unbiased energy producer HDF Vitality expects its inexperienced hydrogen energy plant in Namibia, Africa’s first, to start out producing electrical energy by 2024, in line with a senior firm govt.

“Yearly we are able to produce 142 gigawatt hours, sufficient for 142,000 inhabitants and that's conservative,” Nicolas Lecomte, HDF Vitality director for Southern Africa, stated on Monday.

As soon as operational, the three.1 billion Namibian dollars ($181.25m) Swakopmund challenge will provide clear electrical energy energy, 24 hours a day all yr spherical, boosting electrical energy provide within the Southern African nation.

At present, Namibia imports greater than a 3rd of its energy from neighbouring South Africa.

One of many world’s sunniest and least densely populated international locations, it desires to harness its huge potential for photo voltaic and wind vitality to provide inexperienced hydrogen and place the nation as a renewable vitality hub in Africa.

Hydrogen is categorised “inexperienced” when it's made with renewable energy and is seen as key to assist decarbonise business, although the expertise stays immature and comparatively pricey.

The challenge will see 85MW of photo voltaic panels powering electrolysers to provide hydrogen that may be saved.

HDF Vitality can be eyeing new initiatives throughout Africa and different components of the world.

“Quickly after Southern Africa, you will notice HDF growing initiatives in East Africa,” Lecomte instructed Reuters information company.

The European Union additionally plans a take care of Namibia to help the nation’s nascent inexperienced hydrogen sector and enhance its personal imports of the gasoline, EU and Namibian officers stated, because the bloc works to cut back its dependence on Russian vitality sources.

One other firm, Namibian-registered Hyphen Hydrogen Vitality, is in talks with the nation’s authorities to safe an implementation settlement for its deliberate $10bn inexperienced hydrogen challenge that can produce some 350,000 tonnes of inexperienced hydrogen a yr earlier than 2030 for international and regional markets.