Aliko Dangote's team has brought in Spanish engineering firm Técnicas Reunidas to supply two hydrogen reformers for the fertiliser plant taking shape in Gode, in Ethiopia's Somali region. The contract is one of the latest moves in a project that has grown into a serious heavyweight, with estimated costs now climbing past the $4 billion mark.
The plant is being developed by Dangote Group, the Nigerian billionaire's business empire, and sits in one of the more remote corners of the Horn of Africa. Choosing Gode as the site signals a real commitment to developing infrastructure well beyond the usual urban centres that tend to attract big investment.
Hydrogen reformers are critical pieces of kit in fertiliser production, converting natural gas into the hydrogen needed to make ammonia, the backbone of most fertilisers. Bringing in Técnicas Reunidas, a firm with deep experience in large-scale energy and chemical projects, suggests the Dangote team is building this plant to global standards.
A $4 billion fertiliser facility in the Somali region would be a transformative project for Ethiopia, a country where agriculture employs the vast majority of the population and fertiliser imports have long weighed on farmers and on the national budget. Watch this space to see how fast the Gode site takes shape.
Originally published by AllAfrica.