Niël Terblanché
Dr Mark Hutchinson, the Chief Executive Officer of Fortescue Future Industries, has proposed a joint venture with the Namibian Government to produce an important element in the production of green hydrogen and ammonia.
Hutchinson made the proposal to manufacture electrolysers, on Friday during a courtesy call on President Hage Geingob at State House. When electrified electrolysers separate the oxygen and hydrogen molecules when submerged in water.
Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) is a global green energy company committed to producing green hydrogen from 100 percent renewable sources. The company operates renewable energy, green hydrogen, and green ammonia projects in more than 20 countries.
Hutchinson informed President Geingob that the joint venture model would be on a 50/50 basis.
FFI’s proposal is not a new idea. James Mnyupe, the Presidential Economic Adviser and Green Hydrogen Commissioner said that FFI has shown interest in working with Namibia last year already.
Fortescue Future Industries is one of the companies that submitted a bid to develop a green hydrogen project near Lüderitz but lost out to Hyphen Hydrogen Energy.
In January this year, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and Enersense Energy Namibia (EEN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the possibility of working together to develop green hydrogen and green ammonia for the Daures Green Hydrogen Village project in Namibia.
The MoU will give FFI a period of exclusivity to study and perform due diligence on the project, which not only aims to revolutionise farming in Africa by potentially producing agricultural produce using fertiliser made from green ammonia but also to supply green hydrogen and green ammonia to regional and international markets.
The MoU stipulates that FFI will also offer support, expert knowledge, and guidance to the Daures Green Hydrogen Village during its initial stage. The proposed Daures Green Hydrogen Village project’s first phase has received funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education in collaboration with the Namibian Government and currently consists of over 1 MW of renewable energy.
Hutchinson praised President Geingob’s Green Hydrogen team and said that Green Hydrogen plays a vital role in addressing global climate challenges.
President Geingob told Hutchinson that the development of facilities that produce green hydrogen must create enough jobs to address youth unemployment.
