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HyIron : developing Africa ’ s first climate-neutral iron plant
HyIron is developing Africa ’ s first climate-neutral iron plant , the Oshivela project , in Namibia ’ s Erongo Region . This groundbreaking initiative will help decarbonise the notoriously hard-to-abate iron and steel sector , which accounts for 9 % of global greenhouse gas emissions . Traditional iron production relies on fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas , resulting in significant carbon emissions that are hard to reduce due to the need of carbon-based energy carriers for the reduction of iron ore in conventional steelmaking .
HyIron addresses this challenge by using green hydrogen , produced from renewable energy , as a reducing agent instead of carbon . In this process , green hydrogen reacts with iron ore in a rotary kiln , producing direct reduced iron ( DRI ) with water as the only by-product . This breakthrough technology enables the production of DRI with virtually no CO 2 emissions .
HyIron is a partnership between Namibian and German renewable energy and engineering companies . The Oshivela project builds on a successful pilot HyIron conducted in Germany in 2022 . Phase 1 of the project commenced construction in November 2023 . The site is expected to be commissioned in Q4 2024 , with an annual output of 15,000 tonnes of green DRI , avoiding 27,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions per year – equivalent to
50 % of Namibia ’ s power industry emissions .
Phases 2 and 3 will expand production to 200,000 tonnes and two million tonnes of green DRI per year . The project will create 900 permanent jobs and 6,000 construction jobs , driving socio-economic growth and reinforcing Namibia ’ s position as a global green hydrogen hub .
The second and third phases are co-funded by SDG Namibia One , a USD 1 billion target green hydrogen facility dedicated to incubating Namibia ’ s green hydrogen sector and related infrastructure . The facility is managed by Nam-H 2
Fund Managers , a joint venture between Climate Fund Managers , the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia , and Invest International .
Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 19 | December 2024 13
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