Namibia and the EU have endorsed the roadmap for a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials value chains and renewable hydrogen. Addressing the EU-Namibia Business Forum in Brussels last week Namibian President Hage Geingob reiterated that the country’s economy is intricately linked to the extraction and processing of minerals for export, contributing significantly to its GDP and foreign exchange earnings. “However, we are no longer going to export raw minerals,” Geingob reminded. Through the strategic partnership, the EU will also support an upcoming study for the development of the Port of Walvis Bay into an industrial and logistics hub for the region, contributing to its integration and economic development. The partnership is supported by €1 billion in investments by the EU, its member states and European financial institutions. Namibia had in June this year announced a ban on exporting unprocessed crushed lithium ore, cobalt, manganese, graphite and rare earth minels. This follows Zimbabwe’s ban on lithium-bearing ores or un-beneficiated lithium exports in December 2022, except with a written permit from the Minister of Mines and Minerals. Reuters reported on 24 October that the Namibian Mining Commissioner instructed the country’s police chief to stop a Chinese miner from transporting lithium ore inside the country and exporting it. While that dispute also involves a court case around licencing the EU partnership points to a completely different direction for mining beneficiation in the southern African country. Have you read?SA, Namibia look to bolster cross-border energy relationship Namibia and the EU signed an MoU establishing the strategic partnership on Sustainable Raw Materials Value Chains and Renewable Hydrogen in November 2022. The operational roadmap launched last week covers the period 2023 to 2025 and details the actions in which the partnership will advance its goals. The actions in the roadmap follow the six pillars of th oU: Of interestNamibia building a hydrogen oasis in Africa Addressing the Forum in Brussels, Geingob said the EU recognises renewable hydrogen as a critical and necessary ingredient to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors, such as heavy industry and transport. “Therefore, Namibia is ready to partner with the European Union to meet its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. By 2030, according to the REPowerEU, the European Union estimates that it will require 20 million tons of clean hydrogen, half of this has been earmarked for imports from trusted jurisdictions, such as Namibia,” said the President. He indicated his country’s readiness to establish itself as a renewable energy hub in sub-Saharan Africa. “Our ambitious Harambee Prosperity Plan II (HPPII) emphasises the role of renewable hydrogen and ammonia as key enablers for our post-COVID-19 pandemic economic recovery. Of referenceHydrogen trade needs more than announcements to get going “To implement this strategy, the Governen of the Republic of Namibia established the Green Hydrogen Council to coordinate the development of the renewable hydrogen industry. “The production and export of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives, coupled with energy efficiency, electrification, and direct use of renewable energy, will offer Namibia the opportunity to achieve energy security. It also provides a solid foundation upon which to establish new clean industries. “Simultaneously, it presents an opportunity to diversify our economy, attract foreign investments, and create jobs. In collaboration with Team Europe, the Namibian Government has mobilised more than €4.2 million of donor funding to establish the Namibian Green Hydrogen Programme, which is designed to embolden public sector capacity to bring the goals and objectives of Namibia’s Synthetic Fuels Strategy into effect,” said Geingob. Have you read?Namibia: Green hydrogen refuelling station to be operational by 2024 Meanwhile, on the hydrogen front, Hyphen Hydrogn Eergy and the DBSA plan to collaborate on a funding facility to develop Hyphen’s green hydrogen project in Namibia. The Project Preparation Facility from the DBSA will go towards the partial funding of engineering, environmental and socio-economic development workstreams on the process of developing the project up to the final investment decision. The Hyphen project’s proposed total project capital investment of $10 billion is roughly equivalent to Namibia’s annual GDP. At full-scale development, anticipated before the end of this decade, the project will produce 2 million tonnes of green ammonia annually for regional and global markets. It also posits jobs for 15,000 employees during the construction phase and 3,000 employees once fully operational. Catherine Koffman, Group Executive Project Preparation at the DBSA, noted that they recognise the potential of Namibia’s green hydrogen industry, which is poised to become a beacon of sustainable progress for the entire Southern Africanregin. “The Hyphen project is not only the first Gigawatt-scale project in Namibia, but an example of how we use such projects as catalysts to propel the region towards a greener and more prosperous future.” Access the Hydrogen Industry Insights volume for additional in-depth perspectives. Share this article © All content copyright 2017 – 2023 VUKA Group, unless specified otherwise.
