Illustration : RE/Rcphotostock.
Four North African countries, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria, are making great strides in the production and export of green hydrogen. However, these advances risk being jeopardized by difficulties to be overcome in terms of expertise and funding.
The world relies on africa to solve its energy crisis, thanks to its natural resources inexhaustible. What qualifies it to be a major center of production andexport of green hydrogen. Moreover, a report by the International Energy Agency, published in July 2022, predicts that the continent’s production capacity will reach five billion tonnes per year. With an estimated cost of less than two dollars per kilogram of hydrogen, compared to around eight euros in Europe.
Four African countries draw attention to their respective production capacities. They stand out with projects that are as promising as they are ambitious, but whose realization nevertheless depends on the expertise of their Western partners. A godsend for the latter who show an increased interest in a new market that is opening up for them.
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Egypt: a pioneering experience
Egypt has made great strides in this direction, signing during the current year 16 memorandums of understanding for the production of green hydrogen and ammonia. The Egyptian Suez Canal Economic Authority alone signed six, with a total investment of $10 billion. These memoranda included contracts with the Norwegian company SCATEC for the establishment of agreen ammoniawith a capacity of 1 to 3 million tons per year.
This is in addition to a cooperation project between Total Eren, a subsidiary of the French TotalÉnergie, and the Egyptian Enara Capital to produce 30,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. There are also other projects with the Danish Maersk and the French EDF Renouvelables for the construction of two green fuel plants intended to power ships. In addition to some projects within the framework of the Egyptian-Emirati cooperation to produce 480,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, by 2030.
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Mauritania, future world leader in green hydrogen?
This poor country has two flagship projects: Noor and Aman, ranked among the largest green hydrogen projects in Africa. With an investment of 3.5 billion dollars, Noor aims to export green hydrogen to other African countries. It could become, by 2030, the largest exporter in the world, according to estimates by the African platform Energy Capital and Power.
The Aman project aims to produce 10 million tonnes per year of green ammonia and generate 110 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity. Its investment is valued at $40 billion. That said, Mauritania must resort to foreign funding to be able to carry out its projects. This is how an agreement was signed on June 22, 2022 with the European Investment Bank to support the development of green hydrogen and renewable energies.
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In Morocco, the shadow of TotalÉnergie
Ranked fourth in the world in terms of green hydrogen production and export plans, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), Morocco will pursue the Green H₂ project. This provides for the creation of a platform for research and development of the potential of green ammonia.
The project aims to produce 4 tonnes/day green ammonia, by the end of 2023. Knowing that Morocco is already linked to the French Total Eren, to set up a hydrogen and ammonia plant, at a cost of nearly 10.6 billion dollars. This project is planned in the region of Guelmim-Oued Noun (Centre).
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In Algeria, delays to catch up
Late entry into the sector, Algeria is committed to it through an agreement signed on May 26, 2022 between the hydrocarbon company, Sonatrach, and the Italian Eni. The project aims to extract gray hydrogen, therefore non-renewable and emitting more CO₂ than green hydrogen, in gas fields, particularly in the northern area of Bir Rabaa (Ouargla, south-east). More recently, Sonatrach announced the upcoming launch of two pilot projects for the production of green hydrogen in the south, in 2023 and 2024.
The company plans to develop technological mastery over the entire hydrogen value chain, from production, storage, transport, to applications. According to a press release from the Algerian group, made public on October 26, 2022, Holland is interested in a partnership with Algeria in this area.
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