Scrap Metals Recyler Romco aims at green hydrogen to power Africa

Romco Metals, a UK multinational non-ferrous metal recycler with operations in Nigeria and Ghana, intends to expand its annual output by over 100,000 tonnes a year.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Romco Metals, Raymond Onovwigun, said the company is working on a project to create green hydrogen to power its furnaces.

The firm, which has recently started recycling copper is in the process of raising $50 million in debt and equity to help drive the expansion plan and is looking forward to opening new plants in Africa in the next five years to meet the growing demand for aluminum across the world.

“With global supply declining and demand increasing, there is an urgent need to ramp up the recycling of existing metals in the supply chain,” states Romco CEO Raymond Onovwigun. “Demand for aluminium is expected to grow by 80 per cent by 2050,” Raymond Onovwigun said.

He also added that “We are looking at using solar, and we are currently working with a UK university taking the solar and creating green hydrogen for heat generation to power our furnaces. This is a medium to a long term plan.”

Green hydrogen, produced from splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, is seen as key to helping de-carbonize industry, though the technology remains immature and relatively costly.

Romco Metals seeks to become a global leader in the processing and trading of secondary materials to achieve full global recyclable capacity, thereby eliminating the impact of destructive materials practices requires boldness, integrity, efficiency, and a one-track sustainable mindset is gradually meeting the demand for massive energy and environmental conservation with ambitious investment in recycling production growth in emerging markets where the most neglect and irresponsibility occurs.