Zimbabwe’s Climate Change Management Department (CCMD) is looking to recommission the Sable Chemicals Industries Inc. ammonium nitrate plant into a green hydrogen facility, implemented through the use of a 30MW Solar PV plant.
Sable is Zimbabwe’s only manufacturer of nitrogen, with a nameplate capacity of 240,000 mt/y. The producer’s AN output in recent years has been well below the nominal installed capacity, however, due to apparent technical issues and limited ammonia availability. The ammonia line at the site was decommissioned in 2015 due to power shortages and increased costs.
According to the project proponents, the green hydrogen plant would aid in the decarbonization and self-sufficiency of Zimbabwe’s agriculture, which requires 380,000 mt/y of topdress fertilizers.