21.03.2024
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
Germany and Namibia are expanding their cooperation for the future production of green hydrogen. Enertrag's "Hyphen" hydrogen project is gaining strategic importance.
"Namibia has the ideal conditions to produce cheap and climate-friendly green hydrogen with the help of wind and solar energy" - Federal Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) was convinced of this at the "Energy Transition Dialogue" in Berlin. The outstanding wind conditions and an average of 300 days of sunshine per year as well as the political and institutional stability make the country in southwest Africa the ideal location for the production and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
According to Habeck, Namibia is contributing to the development of an international hydrogen market. Hydrogen would open up completely new economic prospects for the country. "We want to make a contribution to this and accelerate the expansion of the green hydrogen economy in Namibia," said the minister.
Together with Namibia's Energy Minister Tom Alweendo, Habeck signed specific agreements to deepen the hydrogen and Power-to-X cooperation concluded in 2022. These include the agreement to support the "Green Hydrogen Namibia Programme", a new Namibian organization for green hydrogen. The aim is to establish local hydrogen value chains that benefit the local population. This also includes the development of a national strategy for green industrialization as well as assistance in conducting environmental impact assessments for green hydrogen projects in Namibia.
Cooperation with Namibian authorities
On the other hand, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) is planning a bilateral administrative partnership with Namibia with the support of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). The aim of the cooperation with the Namibian government authorities is to define technical standards for green hydrogen or to advise on laws and standards. The training of specialists is also planned.
In addition, the BMWK has handed over a letter of support to the German company Enertrag for its Hyphen project - a so-called qualified "Letter of Interest". Enertrag has thus received a positive, preliminary assessment. This confirms the suitability of the project for classification as a foreign project in the strategic interest of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Hyphen project - the "largest hydrogen project in sub-Saharan Africa" - aims to produce 2 million tons of green ammonia per year for hydrogen production. As a result of an international tender, the Namibian government commissioned the company "Hyphen Hydrogen Energy" to implement the project in May 2023. Hyphen Hydrogen Energy is a joint venture between Enertrag and the infrastructure developer Nicholas Holdings.
Habeck: "Germany is supporting the development of a green hydrogen economy in Namibia that is sustainable for the population through hydrogen and PtX cooperation. The Hyphen project is involved here in a similar way. We are therefore prepared, under certain conditions, to classify it as a foreign project in the strategic interest of the Federal Republic of Germany and thus provide more support than usual through our foreign trade promotion instruments."
The "Hyphen Hydrogen Energy" (Hyphen) project
Enertrag is planning to build wind farms and photovoltaic systems with an installed capacity of 7,000 MW in the Hyphen project in Namibia. The electricity is to be used to operate electrolysers with a capacity of 3,000 MW. This would make the project one of the largest of its kind in the world.
The green hydrogen produced is to be converted into green ammonia, as this is easier to transport than hydrogen. When fully operational, which is expected before the end of the decade, the project will produce 2 million tons of green ammonia annually. At its destination, the hydrogen derivative ammonia can be converted back into hydrogen or used directly, for example in the chemical industry.
Author: Davina Spohn
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