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Hyphen makes significant progress towards final designation as a “strategic foreign project” for Germany
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Berlin, 20 March 2024: The German government presented a Letter of Intent (LOI) to ENERTRAG SE, confirming the suitability of Hyphen’s project in Namibia to be considered for final approval to be designated as a “strategic foreign project”. Granted by the German Government, this status is reserved for high-priority global projects of strategic interest to Germany (“Auslandsprojekt im strategischen Interesse der Bundesrepublik Deutschland”).
Dr Robert Habeck, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and Dr Gunar Hering, CEO of ENERTRAG, officially signed the LOI on 19 March 2024, at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin as part of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD). Present for the signing were Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy of Namibia, Tom Alweendo, and James Mnyupe, Green Hydrogen Commissioner and Economic Advisor to the President of Namibia.
Dr Robert Habeck, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, stated: “Germany is supporting the development of a green hydrogen economy in Namibia that is sustainable for the population through hydrogen and PtX cooperation. The “Hyphen” project is committed to this in a similar way. We are therefore prepared to categorise it as a foreign project, under certain conditions, in the strategic interest of the Federal Republic of Germany and thus provide more support than usual through our foreign trade promotion instruments.”
Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz, designated Board Member for International Projects & Technology at ENERTRAG, said: “The Hyphen project not only contributes to the energy transition, but is also an important testimony to international cooperation in the field of building new energy-trade-partnerships on the basis of a shared understanding of democracy. We are very pleased with the trust that the German government has placed in us with this letter of support.”
Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, said: “This Letter of Intent reflects the crucial role projects like ours will play in decarbonising heavy industry in Europe and beyond and the leading role that Germany is playing in driving forward global decarbonisation. We thank the German Government for their recognition of the significant advancement of our project and their trust in us as a strategic project to Germany.”
Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy (Namibia), said: “Hyphen’s Project is the first building block in realising Namibia’s ambitions to incubate a thriving synthetic fuels industry. This letter of intent from the German government is a strong signal, which further emboldens our collective efforts to deepen and diversify our trade relations.”
Supporting strategic foreign projects is a key goal of the German Government. The “strategic foreign project” classification is designated to select international projects involving German companies, which are then eligible to receive targeted support in their realisation from the Germany Government.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries contact FTI Consulting: HyphenAfrica@fticonsulting.com
About Hyphen
Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Pty) Ltd (Hyphen) is a Namibian registered green hydrogen development company which was awarded the rights from the Government of the Republic of Namibia (Government), following a competitive tender process,s to develop Namibia’s first gigawatt scale green hydrogen project . Hyphen is a joint venture between controlling shareholder ENERTRAG SE and Nicholas Holdings Limited.
Hyphen’s project is being developed as the first step in the implementation of the 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 before the end of the decade 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[1].
About ENERTRAG SE
ENERTRAG is a leading company in the field of renewable energy in Germany and globally. With comprehensive expertise in the development, construction, and operation of integrated energy plants using wind and solar, as well as a wide range of facilities under its own ownership, the company generates over 2 terawatt-hours of electricity annually from its own plants.
A dedicated team of more than 1,000 employees drives projects with a capacity of over 15 gigawatts in nine countries and pursues a holistic approach for combined power plants, including wind, PV, and electrolysis plants, as well as grid infrastructure. The company’s core goal is to efficiently generate, unite, and deliver renewable energy to customers worldwide.
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Hyphen Selected for $5.93 Million Funding Support from the African Development Bank to Advance Namibia’s Flagship Green Hydrogen Project
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As the world debates sustainable development beyond 2030, many Africans ask: transition from what, and to what? For Europe, the green transition is understandably framed through decarbonisation, energy security and industrial competitiveness. For Namibia, and much of Africa, it remains a transition from exclusion to participation, and from resources to prosperity.
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Three years ago, Namibia was being talked about as the next great green energy frontier. A sparsely populated country with world-class sun and wind poised to become a green hydrogen superpower. Since then, the mood has cooled. Financial close on large-scale projects is taking longer, due to slower market demand ramp-up and geopolitical headwinds. Has the opportunity come and gone for Namibia?
It hasn’t. The scale-up has been slower than the early hype promised, but the underlying fundamentals that position Namibia as a major emerging supplier remain unchanged. If anything, it has strengthened. To understand why, it helps to look for the signal amongst the market noise, to the direction that the global energy system is actually heading.
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