A German renewables company focused on wind power PNE AG and Omnia Group Ltd, the chemicals producer, have collaborated towards exploring the possibility of onsite production of up to 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia. The project is to be located in South Africa.
WKN Windcurrent, a PNE’s wholly-owned subsidiary, and Omnia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and will commence a joint exploration and planning for the green ammonia plants.
Under the agreement, WKN will develop the needed equipment to combine wind and solar power generation with ammonia production.
A green ammonia site with that planned output capacity will offset 18,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. It will also reduce the dependency of South Africa on energy imports while decarbonising local industries in the country.
“The fact is that onsite production of green ammonia will significantly reduce our CO₂ emissions, embed sustainability into our products, and support the country’s green energy journey,” said Omnia’s chief executive Seelan Gobalsamy.
Markus Lesser, the chief executive at PNE, stated that solutions relating to power-to-X play a critical role for the company, along with expanding its electricity generation from wind and solar.
South Africa seeks to utilise its abundant solar and wind energy resources to build a green hydrogen economy. With partners such as Germany, the country’s Just Energy Transition Programme has raised around USD 8.5 billion (EUR 7.84bn) to accelerate the switch to renewables.