Namibia has the potential to become an important supplier of sustainable energy for Europe. This is what James Mnyupe, economic adviser to Namibian President Hage Geingob, said during a recent promotional tour to warm Europe for the African country’s energy project. But other candidates are also showing an interest in the Namibian offer.
Europe must make serious efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of its economy and end its dependence on supplies of oil and gas from Russia. Namibia, one of the most sunny countries in the world, is convinced that it can provide an answer to these European problems.
Sun-drenched and bone-dry
“Namibia can produce so much solar power that the country will soon be able to fully provide its own electricity supply,” emphasizes James Mnyupe. “By the end of this decade, the country could even become an exporter of sustainable hydrogen.”
Namibia is a country covering an area of 824,268 square kilometers – more than twice the size of Germany – in southwestern Africa. The country consists mainly of desert areas and has a population of just 2.5 million inhabitants.
With its sun-drenched and bone-dry climate, Namibia is perfect for the construction of gigantic solar parks. The electricity from these plants can be used to produce hydrogen, which in turn can be used as fuel or converted into ammonia for the production of fertilizer.
Hydrogen is obtained by splitting water, which also generates oxygen. This process is done by electrolysis, a technique that requires a lot of energy. However, Namibia says it is in a unique position to keep that process sustainable.
The country has an extensive coastline. There, massive amounts of water for electrolysis can be found. Solar parks can supply the electricity to tackle this electrolysis in a sustainable way. The hydrogen obtained can then be transported to a terminal and exported.
The European Union plans to produce 10 million tons of sustainable hydrogen from its own resources by the end of this decade. But 10 million tons of imports are also expected to replace the supply of coal, oil and gas.
“It will be impossible to the full need for hydrogen with its own production”, acknowledges Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General of the sector organization Hydrogen Europe. “Europe has too little sun and wind for that. Africa can therefore become a particularly important partner.”
China
Namibia selected last autumn Hyphen Hydrogen Energy – a joint venture between the German energy group Enertrag and investor Nicholas Holdings – as a potential partner for the construction of a hydrogen production plant at Tsau Khaeb, in the south-west of the country.
If everything goes according to plan, the first phase of electricity production could become operational in four years’ time. At full power, the site could produce 300,000 tons of sustainable hydrogen annually.
But the investment at Tsau Khaeb also gives an idea of the funds Namibia needs to a leading producer of hydrogen to grow out. Hyphen expects that the project will require a total investment of 9.4 billion dollars. That amount represents almost the entire annual gross domestic product of Namibia ($10.7 billion).
“Chinese companies have also shown interest,” Mnuype added. “Namibia will work with anyone who will make an effort to help industrialize the country.”
Hydrogen exports could help Namibia break out of the traditional framework in which many African countries have become trapped, of functioning merely as an exporter of raw materials rather than manufacturing refined products with higher added value.
With the investments in solar power, Namibia initially wants to be able to fully cover its own energy needs. Currently, about two-thirds of Namibian electricity is imported from abroad – mainly South Africa. “This project is therefore a first step on the road to economic emancipation”, Mnyupe adds.
(fjc)
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