CMB Starts Ambitious Hydrogen Project in Namibia.
The shipping group CMB is starting a pilot project in Namibia for the production of hydrogen. It should be the start of one of the largest hydrogen projects in the world. ‘Our ambitions are great’, says CEO Alexander Saverys.
CMB.TECH, the energy subsidiary of the Belgian shipping group CMB, has acquired fundamental rights over ‘a large piece of land’ in Namibia, in the Erongo region west of Windhoek. CMB, which is owned by the family of Marc Saverys, does not want to say how big.
The company will start a project in Walvis Bay with Ohlthaver & List (O&L Group), Namibia’s largest private company, for the production of green hydrogen. An investment of $18 million. Construction of the installation will start this year. It should be operational by the end of 2023.
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The 100-year-old O&L is active in many sectors such as food, fisheries, the beer sector, agriculture, retail, information technology, marine engineering, real estate and recently also in renewable energy. The intention is to set up various green hydrogen projects in the country with O&L.
CMB CEO Alexander Saverys:
You can compare the pilot project with our hydrogen refueling and production station in Antwerp
“But five times bigger.” We are going to install 5 megawatts of solar panels and use them to produce hydrogen via an electrolyser that can be used as fuel for trucks, cars, buses, heavy mining machines or ships.’
With the station, CMB wants to gain hydrogen experience in Namibia as quickly as possible. ‘But our ambitions go much further’, says Saverys. ‘On the land that we have leased in Erongo, we want to build a solar park of 20 square kilometers to generate renewable energy. We will link this to a large electrolysis park where we use desalinated seawater and make hydrogen. We then take that hydrogen to an ammonia factory where we make ammonia from it – with nitrogen from the air. We can then export this ammonia by ship to, for example, the port of Antwerp – but also to Rotterdam or Hamburg – where it can be used to make the production processes of companies greener. No, we do not transport ammonia ourselves. But Exmar (owned by Uncle Nicolas Saverys, ed.)for example, yes.’ (laughs)
Saverys also plans to use some of the hydrogen to supply its ships, which are now being primed to run partially on ammonia. The installation will be located along the shipping route of many of its ships.
According to Saverys, it will be ‘one of the largest projects in which green hydrogen will be converted into ammonia on a massive scale in the world’. ‘You can compare it with what DEME is planning in Oman.’
Saverys hopes to have the investment decision finalized early next year. “It’s about billions of euros,” he says. ‘We can’t put an exact number on it yet. We are in talks with various partners because of course we are not going to do this alone. But the interest in the production of green hydrogen is enormous. We hope to be operational in 2026.’
Saverys definitely wants to make it a European-Belgian story. ‘That is why we also presented our plans to the port of Antwerp and to the federal energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen). We think it is important that they are aware of such large projects because they are strategically important for the port and for our industry. It is also a huge investment in Namibia itself.’
‘To be clear: many more similar projects will be needed. For the greening of shipping alone, we need more than 600,’ says the CMB CEO.
energy company
In addition to its shipping activities, CMB is rapidly expanding an energy branch that specializes in the hydrogen economy. It started in 2017 with the Hydroville, a small hydrogen passenger ship. Two years ago, the Ghent engine builder ABC was the first to develop a marine engine that runs on hydrogen and diesel. In June last year, Saverys opened the world’s first green hydrogen filling station in Antwerp .
An agreement was concluded with the Japanese companies Itochu and Nippon Coke to build a similar hydrogen filling station in Japan. In Japan, CMB.TECH is also testing a hydrogen-powered ferry and recently proposed a hydrogen vessel to carry crew to offshore platforms. CMB is building a tugboat for the port of Antwerp that is powered for 85 percent by hydrogen.
Saverys also announced this week that he wants to order 200 trucks to convert them into hybrid tractors on hydrogen and diesel using his own technology. CMB.TECH tested a prototype at the transport company Van Moer for nine months. The tests showed that the tanks with 30 kilograms of hydrogen increased the range of the diesel tanks by a third, which reduces CO2 emissions by 30 percent. Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.
In addition to its energy division, CMB operates a fleet of 147 vessels for the transport of ore and coal (Bocimar), containers (Delphis), chemicals (Bochem) and offshore personnel (Windcat). It has 320 employees on land and 3,200 on board their ships.
CMB starts ambitious hydrogen project in Namibia, March 31, 2022
