Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Hyphen) yesterday announced the signing of a partnership agreement with ILF Consulting Engineers (ILF), a leading independent international engineering and consulting firm, to support the delivery of its ground breaking green hydrogen project.
As part of an integrated team, ILF will provide project management services and technical expertise to drive Hyphen’s project in Namibia, as well as procurement and contract advice. ILF will also provide implementation expertise in support of Hyphen’s socio-economic-development goals. With strengths notably in large scale energy and pipelines projects, ILF has broad experience supporting hydrogen projects globally, ILF has extensive experience carrying out project management for Canada’s first-ever green hydrogen project, engineering and designing a hydrogen pipeline system in Finland, and designing a hydrogen plant in Austria.
Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, said: “Our partnership with ILF marks an exciting step towards establishing Namibia as a world leader in the green hydrogen sector. ILF’s experience working on hydrogen projects across the world will be invaluable and will help Hyphen meet the project timelines and Namibia’s development objectives”.
“This appointment, combined with our engagement with potential consortium partners, shows there is massive interest in Namibia from those looking to invest in one of the world’s lowest cost and most advanced large scale green hydrogen projects. We look forward to working closely with ILF in the delivery of this transformative project.”
Dr Michel Kneller, Director of Hydrogen at ILF, said: “We are proud to be a part of this significant lighthouse project. By providing our engineering and project management consultancy (PMC) services to this unique venture, we can contribute to the energy transition. Hydrogen plays a crucial role in transforming our energy system, and we are convinced it is key to a sustainable future”.
Hyphen’s project is one of the largest green hydrogen projects globally, and intends to supply and decarbonise Namibia’s energy systems, as well as exporting 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 5-6 million tonnes in CO2 emissions every year. Operating at full scale, Hyphen’s project could produce 350 000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually.
The project in Tsau //Khaeb National Park will act as a blueprint for future green hydrogen projects globally. It is being developed as the first step in the implementation of the government’s strategy to develop a large-scale green hydrogen industry in various regions in Namibia to support economic growth in Namibia with a total investment of US$10 billion - roughly the equivalent of Namibia’s annual GDP.
Hyphen estimates the project will create up to 15 000 new 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 both the construction and operational phases.