Angola to support Minbos green ammonia production
Through the President’s Secretary for the Productive Sector, the company submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Energy and Water and the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Petroleum.
The LOI outlined a proposal to develop a nitrogen fertilizer facility using green ammonia produced from hydroelectric power from the Capanda Hydroelectric Dam. The Capanda Hydroelectric Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Kwanza River, in Malange Province of Angola. The facility generates power from four turbines of 130 MW each, giving total installed capacity of 520 MW.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has confirmed to Minbos its intention to grant the company the land necessary for establishing a green ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer facility in the Pólo Agroindustrial de Capanda (Capanda Hydroelectric Dam), with the Ministry agreeing to provide the necessary support for implementation of the project.
The proposed land allocation is within 10 km of the Capanda Hydroelectric substation, where the company plans to develop its nitrogen fertilizer facility. It is located within trucking distance to the Malange agricultural corridor and major regional mining projects. The strategic location reduces transport and distribution costs, ensuring the project’s competitive cost advantage is maintained.
Discussions with the Ministry of Energy have confirmed that 100 MW of hydropower is available for the project and the company has been invited to make a submission for a staged tariff structure to offset high fixed costs during the market development phase. Nitrogen fertilizer from green ammonia represents a natural progression for Minbos to produce and distribute NPK fertilizer for Angola by adding nitrogen to phosphate from the Cabinda Phosphate Project, targeting the delivery of locally produced NPK fertilizer to one of the world’s most prospective agricultural regions.
Minbos CEO, Lindsay Reed, said: “Green Ammonia is a natural progression for Minbos and its NPK for Angola strategy and a great opportunity for Angola to establish a competitive sustainable fertilizer industry to underpin the development of its Agricultural sector. We are excited about advancing this project with the support of the Angolan Government.”
