Namibia could have capacity to produce over 6400 megawatts of power in the next ten years, based on proposals submitted under its Green Hydrogen Request for Proposals (RFP) bid which closed in September, President Hage Geingob has revealed.
“Currently, at its peak, the economy consumes about 640 megawatts of power per annum whereas the proposals presented to government entail investments that could produce 10 times that amount of peak generation capacity in the next 10 years,” Geingob said in an article published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Government according to Mines minister Tom Alweendo is currently evaluating the bids, with nine proposals received according to the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB).
Geingob also revealed that construction of green hydrogen pilot plants is expected to begin in the next 12 months, as the country touts renewable electricity, and green hydrogen and its derivatives, as game changers in the country’s growth prospects, which “will provide Namibia with a real opportunity to attract meaningful foreign direct investment, create well-paying jobs, further diversify its export basket, and improve its terms of trade. Therefore, the development of a green and blue economy, as well as a green hydrogen industry, are some of the cornerstones of the HPPII. But Namibians will not have to wait until 2030 to start enjoying the benefits of our green revolution because construction of the pilot plants will begin within the next 12 months.”
Geingob said Namibia, through its green hydrogen initiative, intends to lead in decarbonizing the region, while showcasing the economic benefits.
“About 40% of Namibia’s power currently comes from South Africa and is primarily driven by coal-fired power plants. We imagine a reality where Namibia exports clean energy to South Africa thereby assisting the Southern African region to decarbonize. Namibia is uniquely positioned to become the renewable energy hub of the continent and we are determined to play a leading role in illustrating how environmentally sustainable business practices can be profitable and transformative undertakings,” the President said.
“Once Namibia has successfully incubated the green hydrogen economy, it will enable the country to become a supplier of energy, rather than an importer. Judging from the scale of the initial proposals submitted to Namibia by interested investors, these renewable projects, relative to the size of Namibia’s economy, will be greatly transformative to the Namibian economy.”
He said the planned National Green Hydrogen Research Institute proposed by the University of Namibia will enable locals to play key roles in the implementation of the government initiative.
“Our tertiary institutions are in the process of establishing a National Green Hydrogen Research Institute, to ensure that the requisite research and development is executed right here at home. This will enable Namibians to capture as much of the value chain as possible,” Geingob said.
Namibia’s green hydrogen initiative is currently premised the country’s abundant availability of sunlight throughout the year, proximity to billions of cubic meters of seawater and vast marine resources in the Atlantic Ocean and the potential to capture around 10 hours of strong sunlight per day for 300 days per year.
