Australian FFI reassures on the realization of its investment in the production of green hydrogen from Grand Inga
The Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, received, this Monday, May 30, 2022 at the Primature, a delegation from the Australian group FFI (Fortescue Future Industries) who came to present to him the report on the progress of their project in DRC with a view to signing a cooperation agreement for the production of green hydrogen from the Grand Inga project as part of the energy transition.
Operating in the mines in Australia, FFI wants to launch, in the DRC, mainly in the production of green hydrogen, a product suitable for the energy transition, the production of green ammonia, and the processing of green metals for consumption. locally and for export. It plans to produce 70 megawatts of green energy in total, ie 15 from the Pioka dam, 15 from the Matadi dam, and 40 from the large INGA.
Julie Shuttleworth, Managing Director of Fortescue Future Industries told the press after this working session with the Head of Government.
is a major opportunity for the DRC to become the world champion of clean energy, but also of the development of the clean energy transition. We have the opportunity to decarbonize the Congolese and African economy and a great contribution to the decarbonization of the world. The fate of the whole world is being played out in the DRC,” she said.
Led by the special adviser to the Head of State in charge of Infrastructure, Alexis Kayembe De Bampende, all the management staff of this company arrived in September 2020 with 22 people on board 3 private Jets to present this project to the Prime Minister of the time. So, it was interesting, the Head of State had requested that the memorandum of understanding relating to this project be signed at the Palais de la Nation.
“This is a project that started here at the Primature in September 2020. What is interesting for us today is to have partners who promise and who deliver. Today, we are talking about paradigm shift. We cannot only produce electricity for direct consumption. Electricity is now becoming a commercial product that will facilitate the production of other value-added products. FFI is one of the few partners arriving and I am not asking for a sovereign guarantee, nor a mining title to be able to organize the project”, she added.
As soon as the addendum to the contract is signed, the pace of work will accelerate to be able to carry out development for the benefit of all, reassures the staff of FFI.
While maintaining the leadership of the Grand Inga project which includes Inga 3 and weighs more than 40 billion US dollars, FFI remains open to other partners who can respect the same principles as it, that is to say, work with integrity, and employ Congolese and not bring workers from other countries, train Congolese and respect the laws of the country.
It should be noted that the Australian has already conducted preliminary studies for nearly 25 million US dollars. It already has offices in Kinshasa where its management staff is making its 44th trip before signing the contract.
FFI is an Australian band that is part of FMG (Fortescue Metal Group). It justifies large financial capacities, sufficient to finance any project. Citybank, which carried out due diligence, attested to this, telling the Congolese government that FFI remains its first customer in Australia.
