UK-based start-up Jearrard Energy Resources (JER) plans to develop a 12GW "distributed" solar-to-hydrogen venture in Inhambane province, southern Mozambique, along with a pipeline and a port to enable exports.
The company is targeting output of 4,000 t/d of green hydrogen, which would be equivalent to nearly 1.5mn t/yr assuming year-round operations.
JER envisages a "distributed architecture" design for the project, the company told Argus, meaning the facility is composed of smaller plants of 1GW renewable energy capacity. These will be built across 10,000 hectares, which has already been secured through government grants, according to the company.
"There are a lot of advantages to having a distributed architecture, not least of which is reliability," JER chief executive Marcus Allington said. If one element goes down, operations in the entire facility are not compromised as a result, he said.
Such design is particularly relevant Mozambique, where extreme weather events are not uncommon. For six months a year, from November to April, Mozambique goes through its rainy season driven by the monsoon in the Indian ocean. During this period Mozambique registers high levels of rainfall, which often cause flooding and landslides. Coastal regions can be affected by cyclones during those months.
A distributed design also allows production to start more quickly, Allington said, given the project only needs to be partially completed to start running. The company expects construction to start in the second quarter of 2024, through a process of assembling 250MW units at a time.
The company has not yet decided on the electrolyser capacity it plans to install.
Along with the large production facility, JER plans to build a 125km pipeline and a port in Mozambique to enable exports of green hydrogen. The port could be used for exports of other products from Mozambique and neighbouring South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The company is also assessing options for using green hydrogen as an energy source within Mozambique. Less than 50pc of the country's population has access to electricity and hydrogen-powered fuel cells may be an option for more widespread power supply.
JER is also considering a hydrogen production project in South Africa, but plans for the Mozambique facility are more advanced, it said.
