中国协鑫计划在埃塞俄比亚建设制氨厂和制氢设施

中国太阳能电池板制造商协鑫集团周四表示，该公司计划在埃塞俄比亚建立一家工厂，利用其与当地政府达成的协议开发油田生产的天然气生产氨。

其创始人表示，通过探索新能源来实现业务多元化，协鑫还将建立能够将氨转化为约 250 万吨液态氢的设施。

该公司计划设想在吉布提建立一个年产 400 万吨的氨工厂，其产出将运往其他地方用于制造液态氢。

这种方法具有绿色环保的资质，因为氨比氢气更容易储存和运输，而后者在某些应用中是能源的有力竞争者。

协鑫于 2013 年与埃塞俄比亚政府达成协议，开发 Calub 和 Hilala 两个气田，并在 8 个区块进行勘探。

协鑫表示，这些油田第一阶段预计每年可生产 35 亿立方米天然气，最终将支持每年 1000 万吨氢气的生产持续 40 年。

协鑫没有透露埃塞俄比亚项目的投资或时间表，但表示计划第一阶段的液氢产量达到70万吨。

周四，协鑫集团董事长朱共山在氢能项目启动仪式的间隙说：“我们正在重新定位自己，专注于一条新的赛道。”

协鑫是中国最大的多晶硅生产商、太阳能产品制造商之一，曾经是主要的太阳能电站运营商，于 2018 年开始出售其太阳能电站资产，预计该过程将于明年初完成。

“销售太阳能电站的交易预计将在 2022 年第一季度完成，然后我们将专注于氢业务，”朱说。

氢能项目将由协鑫的子公司协鑫新能源控股负责。

协鑫还计划到2025年利用可再生能源建设40万吨制氢能力，主要是在中国西北部的太阳能发电站。

该公司的目标是向东北亚的工业用户，尤其是钢厂供应氢气。

“我们的氢气价格在市场上将非常有竞争力，所以我们不担心需求，”朱说，并补充称协鑫希望促进中国钢厂从燃煤到使用氢气的能源转型。

中国宝武钢铁集团、河钢集团和酒泉钢铁集团公司等中国顶级钢厂正在探索在炼钢中使用氢气，以帮助实现中国的气候目标。

原文阅读：

Chinese solar panel maker GCL Group plans a plant in Ethiopia to make ammonia using the natural gas produced from fields it has been developing under a deal with the local government, the company said on Thursday.

GCL, which is persifying its business by exploring new energy sources, will also set up facilities with the capacity to turn the ammonia into some 2.5 million tonnes of liquid hydrogen, its founder said.

The company's plans envisage a 4 million tonnes per annum ammonia factory in Djibouti, whose output would be shipped elsewhere to be used to make the liquid hydrogen.

Such a process has green credentials because ammonia is easier to store and transport than hydrogen, while the latter gas is a contender in some applications as an energy source.

GCL sealed a deal with the Ethiopian government in 2013 to develop two gas fields, Calub and Hilala, and to carry out exploration at eight blocks.

The fields are expected to churn out 3.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year in the first phase, which would ultimately support the production of 10 million tonnes of hydrogen per annum for 40 years, GCL said.

GCL did not disclose the investment or timeframe of the Ethiopian project, but said it planned for production of liquid hydrogen to reach 700,000 tonnes in the first phase.

"We are re-locating ourselves and focusing on a new racing track," said GCL Chairman Zhu Gongshan at the sidelines of a launching ceremony of the hydrogen project on Thursday.

GCL, one of China's biggest polycrystalline producers, solar products manufacturers and once a major solar power station operator, started the sale of its solar station assets in 2018 and expects the process to complete by early next year.

"The deals of selling solar stations are expected to complete by the first quarter in 2022, and then we will focus on the hydrogen business," said Zhu.

The hydrogen projects would be handled by GCL's subsidiary, GCL New Energy Holdings.

GCL also plans to build 400,000 tonnes of hydrogen production capacity from renewable power sources, mainly solar power stations in northwestern China, by 2025.

It aims to supply the hydrogen to industrial users, especially steel mills, in northeast Asia.

"Our hydrogen prices would be very competitive in the market, so we are not worrying about demand," said Zhu, adding that GCL looks to facilitate the energy transition at China's steel mills from burning coal to using hydrogen.

Top Chinese steel mills, such as China Baowu Group, HBIS and Jiuquan Iron & Steel, are exploring hydrogen in steelmaking to help meet China's climate targets.