Namibia envisions that it will identify three more green hydrogen valleys over time, in addition to Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, which has received the go-ahead for the development of an H2production plant worth an estimated N$9.4 billion.The first phase of the plant near Lüderitz is expected to begin output in 2026, and expectations are that by 2030 it will produce five gigawatts of renewable energy and 3GW of electrolysis, overall pushing out 300 000 tonnes of green hydrogen.According to the Namibian Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), it will give the country a “comparative advantage in (the global) green H2 value chain”, a statement supported by energy research consultancy Wood Mackenzie.Addressing delegates at a Logistics Hub Forum held in Walvis Bay in March, NIPDB manager for Public Investments, Johannes Shipepe, punted the hydrogen rollout as one of the country’s top development stories.He said Namibia would like to position itself internationally as a production location for green hydrogen due to its very good renewable energy potential.At a relatively low cost of N$25-33 per kilogram, the consensus is that Namibia could very well have an edge in the market for global green H2 output.Taná Pesat, corporate communications manager for Namibia’s ports authority, Namport, believes the announcement in November 2021 – that Hyphen will build a green H2 plant in the Tsau/Khaeb National Park south of Lüderitz – is one of the biggest news events for Namibia.“It will create more jobs in Lüderitz than anything we have seen before it.”Diamond mining and the rise of Debmarine placed the fishing village on the map, creating about 1 000 jobs, followed by fish exports through Novanam, a Pescanova Group company, through which 2 000 people found employment.“But the Hyphen development is massive,” she said. “It’s going to change Lüderitz.”By all accounts this process is already under way, with local newspapers reporting an unprecedented inf lux of people.At last count, at least 2 000 jobseekers had ‘swelled’ the small population of a coastal hamlet many feared was heading in the same direction as Kolmanskop, the ghost town and tourist attraction on the outskirts of Lüderitz.
