Germany And Namibia Intensify Cooperation on Green Hydrogen
Berlin, Germany - In its hydrogen strategy, the German government has identified a total hydrogen demand of 95-130 TWh by 2030. A large proportion of this will have to be covered by imports. Namibia, among others, is moving into focus as an export country for green hydrogen. The two countries have now reached another important milestone in their hydrogen cooperation.
Hydrogen and PtX cooperation takes next step
The outstanding wind and solar conditions as well as the political and institutional stability make Namibia in southwest Africa the ideal location for the production and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives in the view of the German government. At the same time, the development of a green hydrogen economy in Namibia could contribute to sustainable development, the establishment of local value chains and the creation of jobs. With this in mind, the two countries launched a hydrogen and PtX cooperation in 2022. The next step in the cooperation has now been heralded at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BET).
On the one hand, the German Minister of Economic Affairs and the Namibian Minister of Energy signed an agreement to support the "Green Hydrogen Namibia Programme" - the new Namibian organization for green hydrogen: The agenda includes the development of local H2 value chains that benefit the local population, the development of a national strategy for green industrialization and the implementation of environmental impact assessments for green hydrogen projects in Namibia.
Secondly, 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 cooperation with the Namibian government authorities aims to define technical standards for green hydrogen or to advise on laws and standards and to train specialists. At the same time, the cooperation is intended to support the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy and promote the international legal requirements for the safe use of green hydrogen.
The BMWK has also presented the renewable energy company Enertrag from Dauerthal with a qualified letter of intent (LoI, letter of support) for the "Hyphen" project.
"Namibia offers ideal conditions to make cheap and climate-friendly green hydrogen using wind and solar energy. This opens up completely new economic prospects for Namibia and contributes to developing an international hydrogen market. We want to play a part in this and accelerate the expansion of the green hydrogen economy in Namibia," commented Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Habeck on the current developments.
Hyphen hydrogen project in Namibia classified as a strategic foreign project
Supporting strategic projects abroad is a core objective of the German government. Such projects, such as the production of green hydrogen with significant participation by German companies, can be specifically promoted following a comprehensive review that takes into account the German contribution along the entire value chain. The decision to classify a project as strategic depends on its importance for the German economy and industry and requires a mature concept that includes details of technologies, equipment and off-take strategies.
With the presentation of the Letter of Intent (LoI) by the Federal Minister of Economics to Enertrag CEO Dr. Gunar Hering, the company has made significant progress with its "Hyphen Hydrogen Energy" project in Namibia. As the main shareholder, Enertrag has received a positive preliminary assessment through the Letter of Intent, which confirms the suitability of the project for classification as a foreign project in the strategic interest of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German government is thus expressing its interest in the largest hydrogen project in sub-Saharan Africa, which aims to produce two million tons of green ammonia per year for hydrogen production.
The assessment as a foreign project of strategic interest for Germany is also linked to the provision of more support than usual through foreign trade promotion instruments.
"The Hyphen project not only contributes to the energy transition, but is also an important testimony to international cooperation in the field of building new energy-trade-partnerships on the basis of a shared understanding of democracy. We are very pleased with the trust that the German government has placed in us with this letter of support," says Dr. Tobias Bischof-Niemz, designated Board Member for Projects International & Technology at Enertrag.
"Hyphen’s Project is the first building block in realising Namibia’s ambitions to incubate a thriving synthetic fuels industry. This letter of intent from the German government is a strong signal, which further emboldens our collective efforts to deepen and diversify our trade relations," says Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy in Namibia, emphasizing the importance of the project for German-Namibian trade relations.
Berlin, Germany - In its hydrogen strategy, the German government has identified a total hydrogen demand of 95-130 TWh by 2030. A large proportion of this will have to be covered by imports. Namibia, among others, is moving into focus as an export country for green hydrogen. The two countries have now reached another important milestone in their hydrogen cooperation.
Germany and Namibia are expanding their cooperation for the future production of green hydrogen. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck and Namibia's Energy Minister Tom Alweendo have reached concrete agreements on this as part of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. The projects will further intensify the existing cooperation. The cooperation also focuses on Enertrag's "Hyphen Hydrogen Energy" project.
Hydrogen and PtX cooperation takes next step
The outstanding wind and solar conditions as well as the political and institutional stability make Namibia in southwest Africa the ideal location for the production and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives in the view of the German government. At the same time, the development of a green hydrogen economy in Namibia could contribute to sustainable development, the establishment of local value chains and the creation of jobs. With this in mind, the two countries launched a hydrogen and PtX cooperation in 2022. The next step in the cooperation has now been heralded at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BET).
On the one hand, the German Minister of Economic Affairs and the Namibian Minister of Energy signed an agreement to support the "Green Hydrogen Namibia Programme" - the new Namibian organization for green hydrogen: The agenda includes the development of local H2 value chains that benefit the local population, the development of a national strategy for green industrialization and the implementation of environmental impact assessments for green hydrogen projects in Namibia.
Secondly, 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 cooperation with the Namibian government authorities aims to define technical standards for green hydrogen or to advise on laws and standards and to train specialists. At the same time, the cooperation is intended to support the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy and promote the international legal requirements for the safe use of green hydrogen.
The BMWK has also presented the renewable energy company Enertrag from Dauerthal with a qualified letter of intent (LoI, letter of support) for the "Hyphen" project.
"Namibia offers ideal conditions to make cheap and climate-friendly green hydrogen using wind and solar energy. This opens up completely new economic prospects for Namibia and contributes to developing an international hydrogen market. We want to play a part in this and accelerate the expansion of the green hydrogen economy in Namibia," commented Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Habeck on the current developments.
Hyphen hydrogen project in Namibia classified as a strategic foreign project
Supporting strategic projects abroad is a core objective of the German government. Such projects, such as the production of green hydrogen with significant participation by German companies, can be specifically promoted following a comprehensive review that takes into account the German contribution along the entire value chain. The decision to classify a project as strategic depends on its importance for the German economy and industry and requires a mature concept that includes details of technologies, equipment and off-take strategies.
With the presentation of the Letter of Intent (LoI) by the Federal Minister of Economics to Enertrag CEO Dr. Gunar Hering, the company has made significant progress with its "Hyphen Hydrogen Energy" project in Namibia. As the main shareholder, Enertrag has received a positive preliminary assessment through the Letter of Intent, which confirms the suitability of the project for classification as a foreign project in the strategic interest of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German government is thus expressing its interest in the largest hydrogen project in sub-Saharan Africa, which aims to produce two million tons of green ammonia per year for hydrogen production.
The assessment as a foreign project of strategic interest for Germany is also linked to the provision of more support than usual through foreign trade promotion instruments.
"The Hyphen project not only contributes to the energy transition, but is also an important testimony to international cooperation in the field of building new energy-trade-partnerships on the basis of a shared understanding of democracy. We are very pleased with the trust that the German government has placed in us with this letter of support," says Dr. Tobias Bischof-Niemz, designated Board Member for Projects International & Technology at Enertrag.
"Hyphen’s Project is the first building block in realising Namibia’s ambitions to incubate a thriving synthetic fuels industry. This letter of intent from the German government is a strong signal, which further emboldens our collective efforts to deepen and diversify our trade relations," says Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy in Namibia, emphasizing the importance of the project for German-Namibian trade relations.
Source: IWR Online, 22 Mar 2024
