Cleanergy Solutions Namibia, a joint venture between the Ohlthaver and List (O&L) Group and its international Belgium-based partner CMB.TECH, has been awarded a JCOI/PTX grant, which supports the company to set up a Hydrogen pilot plant and refuelling station along the Namibian coast. The grant was announced at the Namibia National Green Hydrogen Conference, held in the capital two weeks ago. Cleanergy Solutions Namibia also co-sponsored the conference, which attracted a local as well as international audience and speakers.
Eike Krafft, Group Director: Innovations at the O&L Group, advised that 30 million euros had been awarded to four projects by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to the Namibian Government. “One of these four projects include our Cleanergy pilot plant and refuelling station. We plan to be up and running at the end of 2023. We are immensely proud of this initiative, which is a first in Namibia. With our training centre, we want to upskill Namibians to kick- start the hydrogen economy in Walvis Bay,” said Krafft.
Globally, green hydrogen has been hailed as a vital carrier of non-fossil energy and worldwide, countries are trying to decarbonise their industries and guide economies towards a greener energy future. “We know that Namibia has vast potential to develop a strong green hydrogen industry, and become a key player in global energy markets. We have all the ingredients necessary (wind, sun and seawater) to develop a sustainable green hydrogen industrial base to drive socio-economic growth, and O&L is pleased to be one of the forerunners in this new industry in our country,” added Krafft.
Roy Campe, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) CMB.TECH, said “Walvis Bay will become the first hydrogen port in Africa. To kick-start the hydrogen economy, it’s key to produce and deliver green hydrogen at an affordable cost. Thanks to the grants, it will become economically advantageous for Namibians to use these new fuels and get acquainted with the technology.
For the consumption of the hydrogen, we will look to heavy-duty equipment within the Walvis Bay area. As CMB.TECH, we have developed vast expertise in hydrogen applications. This expertise enables us to support local partners with the necessary technology.” O&L and CMB.TECH launched Namibia’s first green hydrogen production plant in February 2022. The plant, a demonstration hub for hydrogen applications, is to be built in the Erongo region. The construction is scheduled to start during 2022, with the aim to be operational by the end of 2023. Depending on the results of the demonstration plant, a larger-scale production plant will follow in the second phase, possibly using ammonia as transport fuel. CMB.TECH is a clean-tech company that builds, owns, operates and designs large marine and industrial applications that run on hydrogen and ammonia. CMB.TECH also offers hydrogen and ammonia fuel to its customers, either through own production or by sourcing it from third-party producers.