Hive Hydrogen has moved South Africa’s Coega Green Ammonia Project closer to the sharp end of procurement after selecting Topsoe for the project’s ammonia loop and 850 MW integrated Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell technology package.
The headline number is the one contractors will care about first. Hive says Topsoe’s dynamic ammonia loop and SOEC technology represent more than $1 billion of capital expenditure within the wider $5.8 billion development. That makes this one of the most important green ammonia technology awards currently visible in the global project pipeline, and a serious early marker for how high-temperature electrolysis could compete against more conventional alkaline and PEM routes in large-scale hydrogen-to-ammonia projects.
The project is planned for Coega, Nelson Mandela Bay, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The plant is targeting production of more than 1 million tonnes per year of green ammonia, with an expected commercial operation date in 2031.
Why Topsoe matters
Topsoe has been selected as the Danish original equipment manufacturer for the SOEC and ammonia loop solution. The equipment will be supplied from Topsoe’s new SOEC stack manufacturing facility in Herning, Denmark, which was inaugurated in October 2025 and has an electrolyser production capacity of 500 MW per year.
The technology angle is important because Hive is not just buying an electrolyser package. It is betting that Topsoe’s SOEC technology can materially reduce the amount of renewable generation required to make the ammonia economics work.
Hive Energy CEO and co-owner Giles Redpath said Topsoe’s SOEC technology can reduce capital expenditure on renewables by more than €0.5 billion and deliver a 25% reduction in electricity transmission and wheeling costs. That is the kind of claim that will attract attention from developers, lenders and competitors, because power cost remains the biggest problem in unsubsidised green ammonia.
The project is targeting an FOB green ammonia price of $650 per tonne, with a CIF price below $700 per tonne. If achieved, this would put Coega in a competitive position against blue ammonia and make it one of the more commercially serious export-oriented green ammonia projects under development.
EPC opportunity
The total project value of $5.8 billion leaves a wide field of EPC and supplier opportunities beyond the Topsoe scope.
Based on EPCIntel.com’s typical capital allocation for large green ammonia projects, the estimated spend profile could look broadly like this:
Package Estimated share Estimated value:
Topsoe SOEC and ammonia loop Stated package $1.0bn plus
Wind generation, 1,499 MW 24% to 28% $1.4bn to $1.6bn
Solar PV, 1,430 MWac 13% to 17% $750m to $985m
Balance of plant and electrical systems 10% to 14% $580m to $810m
Water treatment, desalination and utilities 4% to 6% $230m to $350m
Ammonia storage, export and port works 7% to 10% $405m to $580m
Transmission and grid connection 5% to 8% $290m to $465m
Civil works, infrastructure and buildings 5% to 7% $290m to $405m
Engineering, project management and contingency 8% to 12% $465m to $695m
These ranges are indicative, but they show why Coega is not just a technology story. The renewables, power infrastructure, ammonia storage, port interface, water systems, civil works and integration packages still represent several billion dollars of opportunity.
Development timeline
Hive says the project has completed the Green Ammonia Plant Environmental Impact Assessment and is in the final stage of project development. FEED is expected to start in Q3 2026, with final investment decisions targeted by Q3 2027.
That timeline gives the market a clear runway. Technology selection is now moving ahead of full financial close, while Hive continues to invite investors and lenders into the project. The latest Project Information Memorandum was made available on 15 May 2026.
This is also where the EPC market will be watching closely. A $5.8 billion project with a novel 850 MW SOEC system, integrated renewable power, large-scale ammonia synthesis and export logistics is not a simple plant build. It will require bankable integration, serious execution capacity and careful risk allocation between OEMs, EPC contractors, power developers, lenders and offtakers.
Project configuration
The Coega project is being developed around integrated renewable energy assets, including 1,499 MW of wind and 1,430 MWac of solar generation. The ammonia plant will use 850 MW of SOEC technology for green hydrogen production before conversion into ammonia.
The location gives the project several advantages. Coega already has port, road, rail and transmission infrastructure, along with an industrial labour base and established logistics links. South Africa’s electricity market reforms and the government’s focus on green hydrogen also support the project’s strategic positioning.
Hive Hydrogen is backed by Hive Energy and BuiltAfrica. Hive Energy has developed more than 3,000 MW of grid-connected solar PV across more than 50 sites, while BuiltAfrica brings South African renewable energy development and investment experience.
Market view
Coega is now moving from ambition to package formation. Topsoe has secured the defining technology role, but the rest of the EPC map is still wide open.
For contractors, the opportunity is not only in the ammonia plant. It is in renewable generation, transmission, grid connection, utilities, storage, marine export infrastructure and system integration. For South Africa, the project is a potential flagship for green hydrogen industrialisation. For Topsoe, it is a major validation point for SOEC at a scale that moves the technology from promising to commercially consequential.
