The Ministry of Mines and Energy aims to complete and enact Namibia’s Green Hydrogen and Derivatives policy by the end of 2024, an official has revealed.
Green Hydrogen Legislative Focal Person Mutindi Jacobs said the draft policy, which has been refined through international consultations, will be submitted to the Ministry by the end of September.
The aim is to have this draft transformed into legislation before the year ends.
She noted that the fundamental rationale is to create twofold green hydrogen-specific legislation.
“The intention is to hand over this policy to the Ministry of Mines and Energy by the end of September. We are very ambitious in that we want to make sure this document goes through before the end of this year, and the intention is then to have that translated into law,” she told the Global African Green Hydrogen Summit.
She said the new framework is expected to provide certainty and attract investment into Namibia’s growing green hydrogen sector.
“Number one, we want to provide certainty to our stakeholders and our investors. Certainty makes sure that everyone knows what their rights and obligations are. Number two, we want to make sure that everything is predictable, that the outcomes of the green hydrogen processes would be predictable to create legal processes and mechanisms and we are delighted that once we do this, it’s going to promote development and attract further investment in the green hydrogen industry,” she said.
To break down the current legal framework, Jacobs noted that Namibia does not currently have green hydrogen and derivative-specific legislation.
She highlighted that Namibia boasts a robust legal framework for renewable energy, supported by various other legal instruments and policies that regulate the environment and renewable energy sector.
This development comes as Namibia continues to advance its green hydrogen strategy, anchored by the Harambee Prosperity Plan.
In the interim, Jacobs noted that while the country awaits the finalisation of the green hydrogen and derivatives policy and legislation, existing laws have been leveraged to support progress in the sector.
“We have legislation on electricity and legislation on water management, environmental protection, water safety and quality infrastructure, as well as land rights that are already developed that have been utilised in the process of developing green hydrogen,” she said.
This comes as Namibia continues refining its green hydrogen draft policy, initially developed in 2022.
“In terms of the progress we have currently made, as James [Mnyupe] mentioned, we just returned from a week-long consultation in Scotland, where the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the green hydrogen programme, and various intergovernmental agencies worked through the draft policy with no interruptions,” said Jacobs.
The goal is to refine key principles within the policy to ensure it aligns with the green hydrogen value chain and reflects the aspirations of the Namibian people.
