Witbooi visits Hyphen project site in Lüderitz

The Vice President of Namibia, Lucia Witbooi, has reaffirmed the government's unequivocal position and full support for the development of the green hydrogen sector and the Hyphen project as the flagship project and strategic catalyst within the sector after a site visit to the Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Hyphen) project in Lüderitz on Sunday. 

Witbooi gained a comprehensive, on-the-ground view of Namibia’s flagship green hydrogen development and its central role in advancing Namibia’s long-term economic transformation and green industrialisation objectives. 

"The progress I witnessed today during the site visits is a testament to the collaborative spirit and good working relationships between all the stakeholders involved," Witbooi said. 

The project's implementation is structured as a public-private partnership, with the government holding a strategic 24% interest, underscoring the Namibian people's direct participation, oversight, and shared commitment to the project's success.

"This coastline, once seen as remote, is now at the centre of a global opportunity. A project of this national importance is being advanced through transparent and structured processes aligned with Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6). Positioning the initiative within a broader national context, Namibia stands at the threshold of a new economic frontier, with the green hydrogen sector offering a deliberate pathway to job creation, inclusive growth, and sustainable economic diversification, including much needed economic development in the south,” the Vice President said.

Witbooi also underscored Namibia’s commitment to responsible development. “Namibia’s green hydrogen programme represents a defining national opportunity and called for alignment across government, regional leadership, traditional authorities, and communities. “The success of the green hydrogen sector will depend on coordinated national effort and shared commitment, one that requires unity, clarity of purpose, and sustained collaboration to fully realise its potential. Economic progress must be pursued in a manner that safeguards both environmental integrity and cultural heritage,” Witbooi said.  

A central focus of the visit was ensuring meaningful participation by Namibians. Witbooi said that she was pleased by the work being done in the sector to drive participation by Namibians through skills development, enterprise and supplier development, and local content participation. "This project is designed with the local community in mind, aimed at creating job opportunities, supporting local Small and Medium Entreprises, and cultivating a workforce ready for the new green economy. Our green hydrogen strategy is not an abstract policy, it is a national pathway to job creation, economic diversification and inclusive economic growth. Ongoing efforts in skills development, enterprise and supplier development, and local content participation are key mechanisms to ensure that the benefits of the sector are broadly shared. Namibian businesses are encouraged to actively engage with Hyphen’s efforts to develop a comprehensive database of Namibian suppliers and to support the growth of domestic enterprises,” the Vice President said. 

“This visit reinforces the strength of our partnership with the government and our shared commitment to delivering a project that is transformative for Namibia and its people," commented Marco Raffinetti, Chief Executive Officer of Hyphen.

The itinerary included a site visit to Angra Point, the location for critical new port infrastructure to enable the export of green hydrogen derivatives, and the Tsau ||Khaeb concession area, where Hyphen is advancing the development of the project under the concession agreement concluded by the government with Hyphen in June 2023. 

Senior government representatives, including the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi, Deputy Minister Gaudentia Krohne of the Ministry of Industrialisation, Mines and Energy, the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Honourable Susan Ndjeleka, the Governor of the ||Kharas Region, Goab Dawid Gertze and the Mayor of Lüderitz, Her Worship Brigitta Fredericks, and regional and local leadership accompanied the Vice President on the occasion.

Hyphen’s project is being developed as the first step in the implementation of the Namibian government's strategy for the development of a large-scale green hydrogen industry in various regions in Namibia to support both economic growth in Namibia and assist the world in achieving its decarbonisation goals. At full scale development, the project will produce 2 million tonnes of green ammonia annually for regional and global markets, from ~7GW of renewable generation capacity and ~3GW of electrolyser capacity, cutting 5-6 million tonnes (annually) of CO2 emissions, with Namibia’s annual 2021 emissions totalling 4.01 million tonnes.

Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Pty) Ltd is a Namibian registered green hydrogen development company, which has been awarded the rights through a public tender to develop Namibia’s first large scale green hydrogen project on Government owned land. Hyphen is a joint venture between ENERTRAG SE and Nicholas Holdings Limited. The Government of the Republic of Namibia holds a 24% shareholding in Hyphen via its blended finance company SDG Namibia One.