OCI NV announced the start of the commissioning of the first phase of the green hydrogen plant in Ain Sokhna, Egypt, during an event at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh. When fully developed, the facility, known as “Green Egypt,” will deliver up to approximately 15,000 mt of green hydrogen as feedstock for the production of up to 90,000 mt/y of green ammonia in the existing EBIC ammonia plant at Ain Sokhna owned by Fertiglobe – OCI’s nitrogen fertilizer joint venture and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC).
Green Egypt is a joint consortium project between Fertiglobe, Norway-based renewable power producer Scatec ASA, Egypt’s Orascom Construction, and The Sovereign Fund of Egypt, and is the first integrated green hydrogen plant in Africa.
Fertiglobe, Scatec ASA, and The Sovereign Fund of Egypt signed an agreement to partner up on the project last October (GM Oct. 15, 2021). Orascom Construction is building the project using Egyptian engineers.
If fully developed, the Green Egypt facility will consist of 100 MW of electrolyzers, powered by 260 MW of solar and wind.
The consortium is in the process of finalizing engineering and technology choices for the 100 MW full-scale plant, and the hydrogen tie-ins for up to 100 MW of electrolysis already have been installed at Fertiglobe’s two existing plants at Ain Sokhna, OCI said.
The partners aim to reach a Final Investment Decision on the facility in 2023.