The atlas serves as a data-based tool for promoting local value creation, international investment and a climate-neutral energy supply. The transition to a climate-neutral energy supply is a global undertaking. International cooperation and reliable investment conditions are crucial to achieving ambitious climate targets while ensuring security of supply.

As an open data tool, the Kenya PtX Atlas supports this strategy by comprehensively visualizing the techno-economic potential for green ammonia production in Kenya for the first time. The publicly accessible map is aimed at policymakers, energy companies, project developers and investors in Kenya, Europe and worldwide. Private individuals can also use the tool to check the suitability and potential value of their own land for use. The aim is to trigger investments on a scientifically sound basis and promote partnership structures. 

‘The Kenya PtX Atlas provides important data. Combined with the commitment of local stakeholders, their knowledge and critical analysis, it is particularly effective, as shown by H2Global's ammonia report for Kenya. This integrated approach is essential to understand the full potential of hydrogen and enable informed decisions in politics and the private sector,’ says Susana Moreira, Executive Director of the H2Global Foundation.

The data and analyses presented in the atlas are based on the report ‘Renewable Ammonia: Kenya's Business Case,’ which was initiated and led by the H2Global Foundation. As part of this joint initiative, Fraunhofer IEE was responsible for GIS-based site selection and optimization, the H2Global Foundation conducted the financial analysis, and Strathmore University supported the process by facilitating the involvement of relevant Kenyan stakeholders. The analysis follows Kenya's 2023 hydrogen strategy, which identifies renewable hydrogen as a strategic opportunity for sustainable socio-economic development. The aim of the report was to examine concrete business models for the production and use of green ammonia in Kenya and thus promote project development in line with national ambitions. 

‘With the Kenya PtX Atlas, we are creating transparency about concrete business models for green ammonia in Kenya based on regional data, economic analyses and strategic market assessments,’ says Christoph Zink, project manager at Fraunhofer IEE.

A central element of the Kenya PtX Atlas is the Land Suitability Analysis, which provides a detailed assessment of the suitability of potential sites for wind, solar and hybrid plants. Individual land pixels are analysed using over 30 technical exclusion and evaluation criteria and rated on a scale from 0 to 100. In addition, aggregation at county level provides a clear overview of regional potential, which can be filtered by energy type. This differentiated site assessment enables the precise identification of suitable areas for the sustainable production of green ammonia. 

Four regions with great potential for green ammonia

The report ‘Renewable Ammonia: Kenya's Business Case’ focuses on four selected regions that are particularly suitable due to their natural resources and infrastructural conditions: Turkana Central and Turkana South in the north of the country near Lake Turkana, the Kisumu region on Lake Victoria, and the Greater Mombasa region on the Indian Ocean coast. 

Based on a GIS-supported potential analysis and location-specific simulations of wind and PV feed-in using historical weather data, model calculations were carried out for the economic production of green ammonia. The results show that the production costs range between 941 EUR/tonne NH₃ (Turkana South) and 2,743 EUR/tonne NH₃ (Kisumu). Although these values are still higher than those of conventionally produced, fossil-based ammonia products, the report concludes that further processing into fertilizers will enable profitable domestic markets to be served. This will not only contribute to local value creation, but also to resilience to global price fluctuations.

Open data tool for project development and political decision-making 

The Kenya PtX Atlas is being made freely available as an open data tool. It allows location-specific queries on production costs, full-load hours or local resources and serves as a central basis for decision-making in the planning and development of PtX projects – for both local and international actors.

In the long term, the tool is intended to promote partnership-based cooperation on an equal footing. The atlas has created a data-based foundation for developing local hydrogen economy strategies and targeting investments. At the same time, it opens up new prospects for Europe to import climate-neutral energy sources as a contribution to achieving its own climate targets and ensuring security of supply. 

Fraunhofer IEE sees potential for transferring the underlying concept to other countries and regions. ‘Comparable potential analyses could be developed and applied accordingly. With the Kenya PtX Atlas, we want to create a transparent basis for reliable and sustainable international cooperation,’ explains Christoph Zink.

Thinking ahead for Africa's energy transition 

A key objective is to view green hydrogen products not only as an export commodity, but also as a catalyst for a sustainable energy transition in the partner countries. In Kenya, PtX production can support local defossilisation, for example through the expansion of renewable power generation, new industrial applications and local value creation based on domestic resources such as ammonia or steel.

The Kenya PtX Atlas makes it clear that green ammonia is not only an export product, but also a lever for sustainable industrialization and energy sovereignty in Kenya. The visualization of concrete potential lays the foundation for this. The atlas is therefore an important first step towards systematically, transparently and data-based presentation of international potential for power-to-X applications. In the future, there is the option of expanding the atlas to other countries, regions or alternative PtX paths, thereby highlighting even broader application possibilities and gradually expanding the ‘energymaps’ product range at Fraunhofer IEE. The aim is to continuously develop the platform and contribute new findings to international cooperation. 

Expert Web Session

On 23 September 2025, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., you will have the opportunity to get to know the Kenya PtX Atlas live in an interactive Expert Web Session. Together with experts, you can dive into the content and ask your questions directly. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.