JinkoSolar has announced that it has supplied 25MW of its high-efficiency N-type TOPCon panels for the first phase of a solar-powered hydrogen project which supports green iron manufacture at Namibia’s Oshivela plant. Once online, it will be Africa’s first commercial green iron plant and a significant milestone for the continent’s green industrial transition. The company has also signed an MoU to supply the upcoming second and third phases of the project, which will bring the total capacity up to 1.811GW.
HyIron´s Oshivela Green plant is pioneering a transformative approach to the manufacture of iron, using hydrogen as a clean energy source to enable the plant to achieve carbon neutrality, effectively mitigating the environmental footprint associated with traditional iron production methods.
“On behalf of HyIron, I am delighted to share our vision and plans for global collaboration with JinkoSolar on our Green Iron Project,” commented company MD Johannes Michels. “HyIron is focusing on renewable energy and engineering green industrial solutions. Our core technology, known as HyIron Technology, is an innovative process that utilizes green hydrogen to reduce iron ore in a rotary kiln, resulting in fully carbon-neutral iron production.
Our collaboration with JinkoSolar will materialize in the Oshivela project in Namibia, where we aim to establish the world’s first industrial production of iron at net-zero emissions. By joining forces with Jinko, we are collectively contributing to the global energy transition and building a greener, more sustainable future.”
The cost of green hydrogen is the key to the project’s ROI and mainly depends on the cost of green power. The high efficiency and high generation performance of the Tiger Neo panels delivers the lowest possible LCOE to secure the economic value of the project and makes it competitive against fossil fuel based iron production.
“We are delighted to be supplying our Tiger Neo modules to power Africa’s first solar hydrogen powered green iron plant which represents a paradigm shift in the iron industry and will set a precedent for sustainable manufacturing practices on a global scale. Initiatives like HyIron’s Oshivela plant serve as beacons of hope and inspiration in Africa and the rest of the world,” added Jaffer Wang, Jinko GM for the SSA region.