HyIron Green Technology is pleased to announce the successful delivery of its specialised rotary kiln to the HyIron Oshivela Project, outside Arandis.
This critical piece of equipment is a cornerstone of the project’s operations, enabling the efficient and sustainable production of iron at zero emissions.
HyIron Managing Director Johannes Michels said with the delivery of the rotary kiln, the Oshivela project was well on track to start production within this year, which would make Namibia potentially the world’s first to produce iron 100% based on hydrogen and therewith at zero CO2 emissions.
Michels said the “rotary kiln is a state-of-the-art piece of machinery designed specifically for the HyIron Oshivela Project”. Its advanced features include:
- Energy Efficiency: The kiln incorporates cutting-edge technology that is the most energy efficient iron reduction technology currently on the market.
- Water Recycling: As an airtight system in which Hydrogen (H2) reacts with Oxygen (O) of the iron ore (or iron oxide FExOy) the resulting H2O – Water can be recycled in the process and therewith reused in the production.
- Green iron ore: The kiln’s design allows the use of very fine iron ore powder that could not be used in most of the traditional iron making processes. Also, this allows for new ways in mining.
- Modularity: The technology of the kiln allows for a modular growth, that is well adaptable to the available capital, energy, infrastructure and iron ore supply.
“The delivery of the rotary kiln marks a significant milestone in the construction and development of the HyIron Oshivela Project. This project is poised to play a vital role in Namibia’s economic growth, green industrialisation and diversification, while also contributing to the country’s sustainable development goals,” said Michels.
HyIron Green Technology was founded in 2020 with the goal to decarbonise the heavy industrial process of iron making – one of the world’s largest emitters of CO2 and driver of climate change. It was born in Namibia with Namibian and international partners.
Namibia is one of the countries where the threatening effects of climate change are already visible. This visibility lies in the direct and indirect effects of climate change on biodiversity and becomes very apparent where previously livestock was farmed successfully but today, with increasingly frequent extreme weathers, it has become ever more difficult to make a living from farming or to create wealth and to guarantee a constant supply of food.
“The Oshivela project, therefore, is meant to not only prove the technical and economic feasibility of zero emissions iron making, but also to showcase the potentials of green industrialisation and most importantly, that there are technically and economically feasible alternatives to CO2 intensive industries that can be realised at high speed. This offers opportunities in very new value chains spanning globally,” Michels said.
The HyIron Oshivela Project recently won the Hage Geingob Award for the Namibian Hydrogen Project of the Year at the Global African Hydrogen Summit (GAH2S). The award recognises the project’s impact on Namibia’s hydrogen sector, highlighting its role in driving innovation, community and youth engagement, promoting local content and knowledge transfer through people development.
Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo said the Oshivela Project has not only fostered technical expertise but also strengthened commercial capabilities in the mining sector.
Located about 30km east of Arandis, the project is on course to commence production this year with nearly 50% of the production plant completed, while work on the 25MW solar power plant is at an advanced stage.
The first phase of the project is earmarked to produce 15 000 tonnes of green iron. HyIron aims to produce about 200 000 tonnes of green iron in the second phase of the project.
The Oshivela Project will be one of the biggest primary production sites of green iron in the world and the project is expected to avoid 27 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year in its second phase, equivalent to 50% of the CO2 emissions of Namibia’s power industry.
HOW GREEN IRON WILL BE PRODUCED
At Oshivela, renewable energy will replace fossil fuels in the traditional production process and renewable energy will be produced by a solar and wind energy plant. In the first phase, a 25MW solar photovoltaic installation will supply carbon-free electricity to the plant for the first scaled-up production phase. This will increase by 18MW of wind energy and 140MW rated power solar energy. The power will mainly supply energy for the water electrolysis to produce reduced agent hydrogen. The hydrogen is then transported into the furnace where it reacts with the oxygen of the iron ambient pressure to become water again, whereby water is re-used in the process.
