THE Namibian government and Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Hyphen) have announced dates for a National Green Hydrogen Roadshow.
The roadshow, which will run from August to October 2023, will see government officials
and Hyphen representatives engage with various stakeholders across the country to share information on the Hyphen project and the Socio-Economic Development (SED) Framework recently launched in Keetmanshoop.
The roadshow is scheduled to commence in the Khomas region on Tuesday 22 August 2023, and will tour major towns spanning all 14 regions of the country.
The Hyphen project is being developed as the first step in the implementation of the government’s strategy to establish a large-scale green hydrogen industry in Namibia to spur economic growth in the country with a total investment of US$10 billion (about N$190 billion), slightly more than Namibia’s annual GDP.
It is estimated that the project will create up to 15 000 jobs during the construction phase and 3 000 permanent jobs during its operation, with a target for around 90% of these jobs to be filled by Namibians.
Hyphen is targeting 30% local procurement for goods, services and materials throughout construction and operational phases.
Toni Beukes, head of ESG at Hyphen, said: “We’re looking forward to engaging different stakeholders to explain more about the project and share information about how the SED Framework can benefit Namibians. We’re keen to understand more what our stakeholders would like to know, speak about any concerns they may have and have an open and transparent conversation about the project, our timelines and goals”.
The roadshow engagements will be headed by Obeth Kandjoze, Director General of the National Planning Commission and chairperson of the Green Hydrogen Council, and hosted by each regional governor, chairpersons and their respective constituency councillors, with presentations from Hyphen.
Hyphen’s project is one of the largest green hydrogen projects globally, and is expected to supply and contribute to the decarbonisation of Namibia’s energy systems, as well as export green ammonia to international markets.
Hyphen is targeting annual production of one million tonnes of green ammonia by 2027, with plans to increase annual production to two million tonnes by 2029, cutting 5 to 6 million tonnes in CO2 emissions every year. Operating at full scale, Hyphen’s project could produce 350 000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually.