(Ain Sokhna / Egypt) – In Ain Sokhna, Egypt, green hydrogen is to be produced using a 100-megawatt electrolyser, which will then be used to produce 90.000 tons of green ammonia annually. The US company Plug Power Inc. was selected as the supplier of the PEM electrolyzer (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane).
The plant is being built on a site owned by the Egyptian Basic Industries Corporation (EBIC). The site already includes an ammonia plant with a production capacity of 748.000 tonnes per year and is connected via a direct pipeline to the port of Sokhna, one of the Red Sea region's largest export ports. EBIC was initiated by OCI in collaboration with a consortium led by KBR, USA, whose Advanced Ammonia Process (KAAP) technology has been used since commissioning in 2009.
Completion is scheduled for November 2022
Construction is expected to take place on an accelerated schedule so that the green hydrogen plant can be unveiled during the COP 27 climate summit in Egypt in November 2022
The Norwegian project developer and plant operator Scatec ASA is in charge of the project. The consortium also includes the two fertilizer manufacturers OCI NV (Netherlands) and Fertiglobe (Abu Dhabi) as well as the Egyptian sovereign wealth fund “Sovereign Fund of Egypt”. The local construction work is expected to be carried out by Orascom Construction.
Egypt is an “ideal location for the production of green hydrogen” as the country has “a unique renewable energy profile with strong solar and wind energy” and is close to markets with hydrogen needs, Scatec explained. The company develops, builds, owns and operates solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants as well as storage solutions on four continents. The Norwegians already have project experience in Egypt: Scatec was already involved in the “Benban” photovoltaic power plant, a system with 2019 gigawatts of output that was completed in 1,8. At the time, the Bayerische Landesbank took over 85 percent of the financing.
Fertiglobe, a joint venture between OCI NV and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), is the world's largest exporter of fertilizers and reportedly the largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers in the Middle East and North Africa. Production capacity includes 6,7 million tonnes of urea and ammonia produced in four subsidiaries in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Algeria. In August 2021, Fertiglobe increased its own stake in EBIC to 75 percent by purchasing the KBR shares, thereby further streamlining the group's ownership structure. Fertiglobe is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
OCI NV is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of hydrogen-based products, supplying low-carbon fertilizers, fuels and raw materials to customers in agriculture, transportation and industry. OCI's production capabilities span four continents and cover approximately 16,2 million tons per year, including nitrogen fertilizers, methanol, biofuels, melamine and other products. OCI employs more than 3.600 people and is headquartered in Amsterdam.
“Egypt attaches great importance to hydrogen”
Heba Afifi, head of the EU projects department at the Egyptian Chamber of Foreign Trade (AHK), expects that various partnerships with global expertise will be established “in the near future”. Green hydrogen will be integrated into the national energy system. The country's Prime Minister initiated a hydrogen working group led by the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy in December 2020. Various ministries and industrial associations are also members. The working group has already carried out a study “on the cross-sector relevance of hydrogen technology in Egypt” and analyzed the production and use options for hydrogen.
“Egypt attaches great importance to hydrogen and is trying to enter this field through new projects,” explained Heba Afifi. To this end, an integrated national strategy for hydrogen production was adopted with the participation of the country's various sectors.
deep link
https://scatec.com/2021/11/24/scatecs-green-hydrogen-consortium-in-egypt-selects-plug-power-for-delivery-of-100-mw-electrolyser/
https://www.ir.plugpower.com/Press-Releases/Press-Release-Details/2021/Plug-Power-Selected-by-Fertiglobes-Green-Hydrogen-Consortium-to-Deliver-100MW-Electrolyzer-for-Green-Ammonia/default.aspx
Photos
“Benban” photovoltaic power plant in Egypt. © Scatec ASA
