Green Hydrogen: Fuelling Namibia's Economic Future

• Published date: 08 February 2023
• Subject Matter: Energy and Natural Resources, Energy Law, Mining
• Law Firm: ENSafrica
• Author: Ms Stefanie Busch, Ashleigh Faber and Ntando Ximba

Like many other countries on the continent, Namibia is plagued by energy poverty which poses an obstacle to the economic growth and development of Namibia and her people. Green hydrogen offers a possible solution by providing reliable energy in the country, creating jobs in the production and distribution of hydrogen and driving economic growth, all while enabling Namibia to export green electrons to the global north and the southern African region.

On Thursday, 26 January 2023, ENSafrica | Namibia (incorporated as Lorentz Angula Inc.) and Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) held a panel discussion titled "Leveraging Green Hydrogen to Drive Economic Prosperity in Namibia". The discussion was opened by RMB Namibia Chairman, Philip Chapman, and moderated by Sector Lead for Mining and Resources at RMB, Fabian Shaanika and ENSafrica's Project Development and Energy Senior Associate, Stefanie Busch.

According to the HDF-Energy Business Developer responsible for Namibia, South Africa and Zambia, Tashiya Walenga, green hydrogen remains an enigmatic concept to many players in the private sector despite its benefits. One way to tap into the opportunities in the green hydrogen industry, Walenga shared with the audience, is to explore the value chain, which consists of upstream, midstream, and downstream components. By understanding the value chain, private sector actors can identify areas where they can leverage their strengths to contribute to local content and localisation. This will allow them to play a meaningful role in the green hydrogen industry for decades to come.

Lodestone COO, Danny Castelyn, who spoke about Lodestone's green steel business venture, Hyron - emphasised that the call for local content can be achieved by implementing a long-term strategy in which local Namibians acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise required to participate meaningfully in the green hydrogen industry for decades to come.

zhero Business Development Manager for Namibia and South Africa, Grant Muller also shed light on the initiatives undertaken by zhero in the...