Africa-focused Chariot inks green hydrogen import MOU with Port of Rotterdam

Africa-focused energy company Chariot has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Rotterdam to import renewable hydrogen to the Dutch port, the company said April 6.

Chariot previously announced a green hydrogen project in Mauritania with a capacity of up to 10 GW, and the MOU is a step towards establishing export routes for production from the planned facility.

The company said the Rotterdam MOU would work towards establishing supply chains to import renewable hydrogen and ammonia to meet expected demand in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe.

"The project could turn Mauritania into a leading supplier of green hydrogen to Europe, making it one of the largest energy projects of its kind in the world," Port of Rotterdam International Director Rene van der Plas said in the statement.

The partners will work together to develop offtake agreements and secure contracts for specific volumes.

A separate MOU for the 10-GW Project Nour in Mauritania was signed with the country's Ministry of Petroleum, Mines and Energy in September 2021.

The project is to be backed by large-scale solar and wind generation, planned for development in the country.

Chariot Transitional Power CEO Benoit Garrivier said Mauritania could become one of the cheapest green hydrogen producers in the world.

Several large-scale low-cost green hydrogen production projects are targeting costs of $1.5/kg by 2030 or earlier.

S&P Global Commodity Insights assessed the calculated cost of hydrogen production via alkaline electrolysis in Qatar (including capex) at $2.59/kg on April 6, among the cheapest locations globally.

That compares with Eur12.91/kg ($14.07/kg) in the Netherlands.

"Our ambition is to help the nation become one of the world's main producers and exporters of green hydrogen," Garrivier said.