Economics and Climate Minister Robert Habeck and Namibian Energy Minister Tom Alweendo had concluded a cooperation agreement in the field of the hydrogen economy on March 29, 2022. To implement the agreement, Habeck appointed former Energy State Secretary Rainer Baake as special representative for German-Namibian climate and energy cooperation.
Wind and solar power for green ammonia
"There is hardly a better place in the whole world to produce green hydrogen using wind and solar power," Habeck explained. Onshore wind turbines would generate even higher amounts of electricity there than offshore plants in the North Sea. The generation of electricity from solar energy plants is almost three times as high as in Germany, he said. "I am therefore very pleased that from now on the German-Namibian cooperation for green hydrogen will be driven by the expert and former State Secretary Rainer Baake."
Baake is currently on a 10-day trip to Namibia to consult with the Namibian government on the development of a green hydrogen economy, according to the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWK). He was received by President Hage Geingob last week. Earlier, he had attended a meeting of the Namibian Cabinet. His talks focused on the implementation of a project planned by Namibia to produce green ammonia in southern Namibia. "Namibia will produce green ammonia, which we urgently need in Germany to decarbonize our industry," Baake explained.
Replacing industrial natural gas - renewable seawater desalination.
Germany is the largest consumer of ammonia in Europe. Ammonia is a key feedstock in industry and is becoming increasingly important on the road to climate neutrality. Currently, ammonia in Germany is produced exclusively using natural gas; in recent years, production has accounted for 11 percent of industrial natural gas use and nearly 6 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, according to BMWK. "Cooperation thus brings major benefits for both Namibia and Germany," Baake said. "It's a real win-win situation."
The production of hydrogen by electrolysis requires large quantities of water, which is particularly scarce in Namibia. Therefore, a seawater desalination plant powered by renewable energy is planned near the town of Lüderitz. The plant will simultaneously serve to supply the local population with sufficient clean drinking water.
New port facility planned for shipping
Since hydrogen can only be transported cost-effectively by pipeline and not by ship, Namibia plans to process hydrogen into ammonia with the addition of atmospheric nitrogen. A new port facility is planned for shipping the green ammonia.
A tender for the development of a first stage of the project has been won by Hyphen, a joint venture between the German company Enertrag and the South African company Nicolas Holding. The Namibian state is being offered a stake. The investment volume for the first expansion stage is roughly equivalent to Namibia's current gross national product.
New jobs - decarbonization of the power sector
According to BMWK, the development of a green hydrogen economy has the potential for a significant economic boost for the country on Africa's southwest coast.
During the construction phase, 15,000 new jobs would be created, and 3,000 workers would be needed during operation. Namibia is working on the training and further education of local workers, who will be hired as a priority, the BMWK further announced.
According to Baake, however, there are two other major advantages. "We have arranged an expert study with the Namibian energy minister on how the large wind and solar energy capacities for hydrogen production can be integrated into the Namibian electricity system. I see a great opportunity for Namibia to become the first African country with 100% renewable energies in the power sector before the end of this decade," said Baake.
Avoiding coal-fired power from South Africa
The fourth advantage, he said, lies in the elimination of electricity imports from coal-fired power plants in South Africa. At last year's Glasgow climate conference, Germany and other industrialized countries pledged support for South Africa to phase out coal-fired power generation. "The fact that exports of coal-fired electricity from South Africa to Namibia will cease represents a contribution to South Africa's coal phase-out that should not be underestimated," Baake said. (hcn)
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