French independent power producer HDF Energy anticipates its green hydrogen power plant in Namibia, the continent’s first, to begin producing electricity by 2024, according to a company executive.
Once completed, the N$3.1 billion (R3.1 billion) Swakopmund project will provide clean energy power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, improving electricity supplies in the Southern African nation that imports almost 40% of its power from South Africa.
Namibia, one of the sunniest and least densely populated countries in the world, aspires to utilize its tremendous potential for solar and wind energy to manufacture green hydrogen and establish itself as Africa’s renewable energy powerhouse.
Electrolysers will be powered by 85 MW of solar panels to make hydrogen that can be stored.
Hydrogen is considered “green” when it is produced using renewable energy, and it is viewed as essential to decarbonizing industry, despite the fact that the technology is still immature and rather expensive.
The project will utilize electrolysers powered by 85 MW of solar panels to make hydrogen that can be stored.
“We can produce 142GWh annually, enough for 142 000 people, and that’s conservative,” said Nicolas Lecomte, director of HDF Energy for Southern Africa.
HDF Energy is also interested in new projects in Africa and elsewhere in the world. Lecomte stated that, “soon after Southern Africa, you will see HDF implementing projects in East Africa.”
In an effort to minimize its reliance on Russian energy, the European Union is also planning an agreement with Namibia to promote the country’s nascent green hydrogen sector and increase its own imports of the fuel, according to EU and Namibian officials.
Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, a Namibian firm, is in negotiations with the government to achieve an implementation agreement for its projected US$10 billion green hydrogen project, which will produce around 350 000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually for global and regional markets by 2030.
