Hyphen Hydrogen Energy Project Status Update

Proposed Green Hydrogen Project in The Tsau ||Khaeb National Park, Southern Namibia

Dear Stakeholder,

We are pleased to share with you the third edition of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Hyphen) project update newsletter. In this update, we outline the progress made since the last update in August 2024, including key events from our environmental, technical and socio-economic development (SED) workstreams, highlights include:

• Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGH2P): Meeting with 13 Namibian Ministerial Executive Directors, including the Secretary to Cabinet.
• Growing our team: Hyphen is now 26 full-time employees strong, underscoring our commitment to scaling up our offices in Lüderitz and Windhoek.
• EU and German leadership delegation: Visiting the project site and briefing with the Hyphen team.
• Site visit for local media: Touring national and trade media around our project site.
• Meteorological masts: Erected 10 meteorological masts as part of a renewable energy assessment.
• Updated website: Allowing Hyphen to share even more information with our communities.

Your ongoing support and active participation in this project are invaluable as we move forward.

Background

In September 2021, Hyphen submitted its bid in a competitive tender process to develop the country’s first large-scale green hydrogen production and supply project in the Tsau ||Khaeb National Park (TKNP), near Lüderitz in the //Khara Region. The Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) awarded Hyphen preferred bidder status in November 2021.

On 26 May 2023, the GRN and Hyphen signed a Concession Agreement (CA), which governs the process for the development, implementation and operation of the project. Under the CA, Hyphen is responsible for the technical, financial, environmental, social and commercial delivery of the project, subject to all necessary permitting processes (including environmental) in accordance with Namibian law and international best practice.

The CA also stipulates that the GRN is responsible for providing the land on which the project will be established, and developing and implementing the required legal, fiscal and regulatory environment necessary for the establishment and sustainable operation of a green hydrogen industry in Namibia.

Stakeholder Engagements
Namibian Ministerial Executive Directors Lüderitz Engagement

In October 2024, Hyphen, in collaboration with the NGH2P had the opportunity to engage with 13 Namibian Ministerial Executive Directors (EDs), including the Secretary to Cabinet. The engagement began with an overview presentation of the Hyphen project, followed by a site visit. During the visit, the EDs had the chance to see some of the erected meteorological (Met) masts within the project area.

Figure 1: Executive Director’s Hyphen project overview site visit

Media engagement

During the same weekend as the EDs engagement, Hyphen hosted a media group at its office in Lüderitz. Like the ED engagement, journalists were given an overview of the project. On a windy Saturday morning, Marco Raffinetti, CEO, along with Ricardo Goagoseb, Senior Manager of Communication and Stakeholders guided the media group around the project site. This engagement was designed to educate journalists about Hyphen’s green hydrogen project and the broader green industrialization opportunities for Namibia.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) process

The ESIA process will formally commence in early 2025. We encourage all interested Namibian’s to be on the lookout for the launch of this process and to register to participate. Stakeholder engagement is a critical part of the ESIA process, and it is important for Hyphen to ensure that all stakeholders have an opportunity to participate. All stakeholders who officially register for inclusion in the project’s stakeholder database will be notified when the ESIA formally commences.

Although the ESIA process has not started yet, Hyphen, through its appointed environmental assessment practitioner SLR, is continuing the targeted collection of crucial terrestrial ecological baseline data. This includes data on vegetation, avifauna (birds), and mammals (including bats) as part of the planning process for the ESIA. Gaining a thorough understanding of the sensitivity of the baseline environment is essential for informing the project design in a way that minimises the project’s environmental footprint and impact, as well as for identifying potential impacts to assess during the upcoming ESIA process. The collection and processing of baseline data will continue throughout 2024.

Socio-Economic Development Updates
The National Green Hydrogen Roadshow

The National Green Hydrogen Roadshow is a joint initiative between the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) and Hyphen that seeks to engage various stakeholders across Namibia to share information about the project and its SED Framework. The SED Framework describes how Namibians can benefit directly from the project through employment and local opportunities.

To date, the roadshow has successfully reached the Khomas, Hardap, ||Kharas, Omusati, Oshana, Kunene, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, and Otjozondjupa regions. The latest engagements took place in the ||Kharas region, namely in Karasburg, Oranjemund, Koës, Aroab, Berseba, and Tses. For detailed roadshow data for the last few months, please refer to the Table in Appendix A.

The team had the pleasure of participating and exhibiting at several forums including the Local Content Conference, Oil & Gas summit, Association of Local Authorities (ALAN) summit. The aim of these engagements was to create awareness of the project and the SED framework and strengthen collaboration with key stakeholders.

Conferences
Global African Hydrogen Summit

In September, Hyphen proudly served as the exclusive Sustainability Partner at the inaugural Global African Hydrogen Summit 2024 held in Windhoek, Namibia, which was an important milestone for the hydrogen sector in Africa. The summit’s theme, “Ambition to Action,” perfectly captured our journey as we continuously drive the development of Africa’s hydrogen industry.

Hyphen won the Communities Engagement of the Year Award at the Summit following the many public meetings held in different towns across different regions.

Figure 2: Global African Hydrogen Summit

Hamburg Sustainability Conference

Marco Raffinetti, CEO, participated in an exciting discussion on how to boost private investment in green energy. Hydrogen is proving to be a game-changer in the sustainable energy transition, with its potential to decarbonise industries from transport to heavy manufacturing. Marco provided insights on the role of private capital in scaling up production, technology, and infrastructure to unlock the full potential of green hydrogen.

Head of Environment, Social and Governance, Toni Beukes, participated in panel discussions where she talked about her passion for skilling up the next generation in the green economy. As industries shift towards more sustainable practices, a skilled workforce is now more essential than ever to enhance resilience, foster innovation and meet the demand for green jobs.

ADIPEC Exhibition and Conference

Hyphen’s Chief Operating Operator, Giuseppe Surace, was involved in a panel discussion that focused on green hydrogen’s position as a cornerstone of our low-carbon future and how developers manage factors such as costs, scaling complexities, political support and the financial landscape. The panel talked about developers requiring a combination of innovative strategies to cut production costs and active partnerships with governments to establish stable, supportive policy frameworks. A key takeaway from the session: securing early and reliable off-takers through strategic alliances will be essential for green hydrogen projects to transition from ambitious plans into tangible, sustainable solutions.

Hyphen Team Site visits
Sorexa-Trekkopje PV Plant

Hyphen visited the SOREXA 10MW solar PV project site at Trekkopje in August 2024, which is owned and operated by InnoVent’s Namibian subsidiary, InnoSun Energy Holdings. This is one of the first Modified Single Buyer (MSB) initiatives in Namibia and will likely be the first to provide renewable energy via NamPower’s transmission system to a private off-taker. NEC Renewable Energy Corp. is currently constructing the plant, with the first phase of the project expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The site visit was filled with valuable insights into both the technical and socio-economic aspects of the project. Seeing the size of Sorexa’s PV plant highlighted the scale relative to the energy output that will be needed for Hyphen’s planned solar PV park. The team gained insight on benchmarks for workforce planning and construction complexities and the coordination that is needed between various disciplines and teams.

Figure 3: Sorexa PV Plant – Trekkopje site visit

HyIron-Oshivela

In November 2024, the Hyphen Team had the privilege of visiting Hylron-Oshivelo, a pioneering Namibian company committed to producing green iron with zero emissions for international markets. Hylron operates Namibia’s first industrial electrolysers, a key innovation in the production of green iron. During the visit, Johannes Michel, the co-founder of Hylron, guided the team through the entire production process, providing an in-depth look at the technology and operations. Seeing the Hylron project in action was a powerful reminder that Namibia’s green industrialization is not just a vision, but a reality.

Figure 4: HyIron – Oshivela site visit

The Way Forward

Hyphen plans to release project updates at least quarterly to ensure stakeholders are aware of our activities.

In the meantime, we refer you to the Hyphen website for further information (https://hyphenafrica.com/). Please do not hesitate to contact the Hyphen team via the contact details provided on our website should you have any queries in this regard.

We thank you for your continued interest and support.

Yours sincerely

Marco Raffinetti,
Hyphen CEO

Hyphen’s historical timeline

Appendix A: Current Road show data 1 

KHARAS REGION
DATE	TOWN	VENUE	MEETING	ATTENDEES
03-Oct-24	Karasburg	Karasburg Town Hall	Townhall meeting: OMAs, Business, Civil Society and Youth	172
04-Oct-24	Oranjemund	Youth Hall	Townhall meeting: OMAs, Business, Civil Society and Youth	41
13-Nov-24	Koës	Community Hall	Townhall meeting: OMAs, Business, Civil Society and Youth	98
14-Nov-24	Aroab	Community Hall	Townhall meeting: OMAs, Business, Civil Society and Youth	86
15-Nov-24	Berseba	Community Hall	Townhall meeting: OMAs, Business, Civil Society and Youth	14
15-Nov-24	Tses	Community Hall	Townhall meeting: OMAs, Business, Civil Society and Youth	108