Hyphen, Namibia sign $10 bln hydrogen plan; Plug to develop plants in Finland
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Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and the Namibian government have signed a Feasibility and Implementation Agreement (FIA) for a planned $10 billion green hydrogen project, Hyphen said in a statement.
Hyphen, a Namibian registered green hydrogen development company whose shareholders include Germany-headquartered Enertrag, said the partnership is the first step in Namibia’s journey to unlock the potential of becoming the world’s leading green hydrogen production hubs.
At full-scale development, the project is expected to produce around 2 million tons of green ammonia annually before the end of the decade for regional and global markets from 7 GW of renewable generation capacity and around 3 GW of electrolyzer capacity.
Hyphen and the Namibian government are aiming to begin construction in January of 2025 and commission the first phase by the end of 2026.
Total investment over the two phased development is around $10 billion, roughly the equivalent to Nambian’s annual GDP, the company said.
During the construction phase, it is estimated that the project will create around 15,000 new job opportunities and 3,000 permanent positions during the operational phase.
Under the FIA, Hyphen is responsible for the technical, financial, environmental, social and commercial delivery of the project while the Namibian government is responsible for providing the land on which the project will be established and developing and implementing the required legal, fiscal and regulatory environment necessary for the establishment and sustainable operation of Namibia’s green hydrogen industry, Hyphen said.
“Today’s agreement is a major step for the production of green hydrogen in Namibia,” President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote in a tweet following the signing of the FIA.
Plug Power to develop plants in Finland
Plug Power, a provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions, plans to develop three green hydrogen production plants in Finland with a final capacity of 850 tons per day (TPD) of green hydrogen, or 2.2 GW of electrolyzer capacity by the end of the decade, the company said in a statement.
A final investment decision (FID) is expected by 2025 or 2026, it said.
The hydrogen produced at the sites will support the production of ammonia and green direct reduced iron (DRI) using Plug’s PEM electrolyzer and liquification technology.
The three projects include 85 TPD of liquid green hydrogen and up to 700 kt of green ammonia per year using 1 GW electrolyzers in the Kokkola municipality, a 1 GW electrolyzer plant located close to a former coal plant near the port of Kristinestad, and 100 TPD by 2030 for use in local mobility and export via pipelines in the municipality of Porvoo.
“Already one of the largest players in the European hydrogen market, Plug is accelerating its commitment to Europe at an unprecedented scale with these three planned historic industrial sector projects collaborating with both financial and industrial partners,” Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh said.
“We are proud to commit our know-how and turnkey hydrogen solutions towards helping Finland deliver on its vision to become a European leader of the green hydrogen economy.”
Subsea 7, Port of Aberdeen explore hydrogen storage
The Port of Aberdeen and offshore projects company Subsea7 have secured a £150,000 ($185,500) grant from the Scottish government to investigate the feasibility of storing hydrogen underwater at the new Aberdeen South Harbor, the Port said in a statement.
The ‘H2Shore – Hydrogen coast storage and distribution’ project will conduct analyses to determine the most effective technological approach and identify an appropriate offshore location as well as develop an outline business case, it said.
The study is among 32 projects to see funding from the ‘Hydrogen Innovation Scheme’, a £10 million capital funding stream of the Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to be delivered over four years from 2022-2026.
The innovation scheme aims to support the development and demonstration of renewable hydrogen technologies and products needed to support the Scottish Government’s ambition of 5GW installed hydrogen production capacity by 2030.
"Securing Scottish Government funding for our H2Shore project is a significant achievement. Ports have a pivotal role in the transition to hydrogen technologies, contributing to the journey towards net zero emissions and serving as crucial infrastructure for hydrogen transport and trade,” Commercial Manager at the Port of Aberdeen Marlene Mitchell said.
“This initiative is one of many promising opportunities we're exploring to position Port of Aberdeen at the forefront of Scotland's burgeoning hydrogen economy."
By Reuters Events Hydrogen