According to Namibia’s investment promotion authority, work on the continent’s first decarbonized iron plant—which will run only on green hydrogen—began on Monday.
One of the most polluting sectors of the global economy is steelmaking, which is attempting to switch from coal-fired facilities to decarbonized iron.
The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) released a statement stating that the Oshivela project in western Namibia has the support of the German federal government, which has contributed 13 million euros. The project will generate 15,000 tonnes of iron annually using renewable energy sources without emitting any carbon emissions.
Last year, Namibia became the first nation in Africa to strike a deal with the European Union to provide green hydrogen to the union.
The factory will employ HyIron technology, which uses renewable hydrogen to treat iron ore in a rotary kiln, according to the project’s creators, a group of German and Namibian businesses.
