Namibia-based steel producer HyIron, a partnership between Namibia and German renewable energy and engineering companies, has produced Southern Africa’s first green hydrogen at its Oshivela project, a significant milestone in advancing the green steel goals in the region, according to local media reports. HyIron was established in 2023, aiming to build Africa’s first direct reduction plant with an annual capacity of 15,000 mt.
The green hydrogen generated by using a 12MW electrolyser manufactured in China will be utilized to produce DRI. The plant will operate exclusively during daylight hours, relying entirely on a renewable energy infrastructure comprising a 25MW solar farm coupled with 13.4MW of battery storage.
Production is planned to commence at 5 mt of green iron per hour, with potential expansions expected in the future. According to HyIron, the production capacity of the plant may go up to 1 million mt per year and could eliminate 540 million mt of carbon emissions annually.
