Cleanergy Solutions Namibia (Pty) Ltd is proposing a 12.7-kilometre ammonia pipeline linking its planned green-ammonia production plant on Farm 58, near Dune 7, to the ammonia terminal in the Port of Walvis Bay.
The carbon-steel line would move about 800 metric tons of green ammonia per day from the plant to port-side storage for export.
According to the project description, the route lies within the Erongo Region and has been mapped to connect the inland plant directly to existing port infrastructure.
The corridor selection is intended to minimise surface disturbance while ensuring a reliable and continuous transfer of product to the terminal.
Cleanergy, a joint venture between the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group and CMB.TECH positions the pipeline as a critical link in Namibia’s emerging green fuel value chain. O&L, Namibia’s largest privately held group, holds 51% of the venture, while CMB, based in Belgium. TECH, which focuses on hydrogen and ammonia applications in maritime and heavy industry, holds the remaining 49%. Cleanergy also has a 25-year lease agreement with the Walvis Bay Municipality for the Farm 58 site.
The total capital commitment for the broader project—including the ammonia pipeline, production facility, hydrogen demonstration site, and ammonia terminal—is estimated at N$50 billion, with backing from Belgian partners and additional funding streams tied to Namibia’s green hydrogen programme.
Construction and operations
During construction, the developer envisages “low-impact and non-intrusive” activities focused on installing the carbon-steel pipeline and associated infrastructure. Detailed methods, construction windows, and traffic management will be set out in the environmental documentation and the project’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP). Once commissioned, the line would operate continuously, transporting 800 tonnes per day of green ammonia from Farm 58 to the port terminal for storage and shipment.
The ammonia terminal itself, budgeted at approximately €230 million, is expected to be ready between 2026 and 2028.
Meanwhile, a hydrogen demonstration plant with a refuelling station and Hydrogen Academy is scheduled to begin operations in late 2024.
Desert corridor notes (added without changing the text above)
The project is situated within the Erongo coastal desert near Dune 7, and the described route selection—“to minimise surface disturbance”—reflects this context.
The stated “low-impact and non-intrusive” construction approach, along with the use of defined construction windows and traffic management, will be detailed in the EMP to guide the work in the desert setting.
Because the pipeline links a single inland plant directly to port storage, normal operations in the desert corridor after commissioning are limited to the closed-pipe transfer of about 800 t/day and routine monitoring, concentrating most day-to-day activity at the plant and the terminal rather than along the desert route.
With the demonstration plant expected in 2024, the ammonia terminal between 2026 and 2028, and full-scale operations aligning with Namibia’s target of producing over 700,000 tonnes of renewable ammonia annually by 2030, the pipeline is positioned as an essential early element in the country’s green fuel ambitions.
