Namibia and Germany have just signed a collaborative statement of intent to boost green hydrogen research, development, and manufacturing. German investors have already begun to position themselves in Namibia’s green hydrogen industry.
Germany’s energy sector is being strained by the situation in Ukraine. Berlin is reliant on Russian gas to the tune of 40%. Green hydrogen and its derivatives, according to scientists, can be used to replace this fossil fuel. This supports Germany’s present diplomatic push to build the global green hydrogen market, which is still in its infancy. Robert Habeck, the German Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, visited Namibia as a result of this strategy. The German Vice-Chancellor signed a joint statement of purpose with Namibian Minister of Mining and Energy, Tom Alweendo.
The goal is to improve bilateral collaboration in the field of green hydrogen and related synthetic fuels. In specific terms, the two nations will collaborate on green hydrogen product manufacturing, processing, application, storage, and transportation.
The Hydrogen Council estimates Germany’s yearly need for green hydrogen to be 1.7 billion m3 per year. And, given the present geopolitical situation, this demand is anticipated to rise in the coming years. Germany, on the other hand, has not waited for the conflict in Ukraine to begin participating in the global green hydrogen market, including the beginning of a collaboration with Namibia in this field. Berlin committed $40 million in support for Namibia in August 2021.
This money will go toward the research and development of the green hydrogen sector. At the same time, private German investors have declared investments in Namibia’s fast-growing economy. This is the case with Enertrag, an industrial conglomerate that has teamed up with investor Nicholas Holdings to form Hyphen Hydrogen Energy. The joint venture would invest $9.4 billion in Namibia to build a green hydrogen plant.
By 2030, Hyphen hopes to produce 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year by converting 5,000 MW of solar and wind energy. The Namibian government is backing the initiative.
