Germany and Namibia have signed an agreement supporting the Green Hydrogen Namibia Programme—a newly established Namibian green hydrogen organization—in constructing local H2 value chains that benefit the local population, developing a national green industrialization strategy, and conducting environmental impact assessments for green hydrogen projects in Namibia.
The agreement, signed by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck and Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo on the margins of the 2024 Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, will further strengthen the countries’ existing cooperation on hydrogen and PtX, which was launched in 2022.
“Namibia offers ideal conditions to produce cheap and climate-friendly green hydrogen using wind and solar energy. This opens up completely new economic prospects for Namibia and contributes to developing an international hydrogen market. We want to play a part in this and accelerate the expansion of the green hydrogen economy in Namibia,” Habeck said.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is also planning a bilateral administrative partnership with Namibia with the support of Germany’s national metrology institute PTB, with the aim of cooperating with Namibian government authorities to define technical standards for green hydrogen, as well as to advise on laws and standards and train specialists.
Additionally, the partnership serves to support the German government’s National Hydrogen Strategy and promote international legal requirements for the safe use of green hydrogen.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is also supporting the German company ENERTRAG by providing a letter of interest for its Hyphen project.
“The Hyphen project not only contributes to the energy transition but is also an important testament to international cooperation in building new energy-trade partnerships based on a shared understanding of democracy. We are very pleased with the trust that the German government has placed in us with this letter of support,” Tobias Bischof-Niemz, designated board member for International Projects & Technology at ENERTRAG, said.
Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, a company in which ENERTRAG holds a stake, aims to develop the largest hydrogen project in sub-Saharan Africa, producing two million tonnes of green ammonia per year for hydrogen production.
Hydrogen is a crucial element of the global energy transition, and in its Hydrogen Strategy, the German government has predicted that total hydrogen demand will reach 95-130 TWh by 2030.
A large proportion of this demand will need to be covered by imports, and Namibia’s outstanding wind and solar conditions (averaging 300 days of sunshine per year) and its political and institutional stability make it the ideal location for producing and exporting green hydrogen and its derivatives.
