In Namibia, the Oshivela hydrogen production plant stands as a pioneering effort in green energy, aiming to produce iron without CO2 emissions. Managed by Hylron, the plant utilizes power from 44,000 solar panels, capitalizing on the country's ideal weather conditions. This initiative is part of a broader vision by former president Hage Geingob to transform the economy and address severe unemployment rates. While the project shows promise for industrialization and job creation, it has faced scrutiny over potential environmental impacts, especially from the Namibian Chamber of Environment, which fears damage to sensitive ecosystems.
Near the town of Arandis, 44,000 solar panels gleam in the Namibian sun, which offers ideal conditions. "On average, we have 30 hours of closed cloud cover a year," explained Johannes Michels, managing director of Hylron, a company that began producing the first green hydrogen in Namibia in late March.
According to Michels, this will make Namibia "the first country in the world to produce iron industrially without CO2 emissions." The idea of Namibia's late President Hage Geingob to transform the Namibian economy using hydrogen is beginning to be realized.
But the flagship project has attracted both attention and criticism. The Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) fears irreversible damage to the highly sensitive ecosystem of the national park.
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