ENERTRAG, one of the market leaders in the German renewable energy industry, has made significant progress on its “Hyphen Hydrogen Energy” project in Namibia. As the main shareholder, the company received a positive preliminary assessment, which confirmed the suitability of the project for classification as a foreign project in the strategic interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Dr. Robert Habeck, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, presented Dr. Gunar Hering, CEO of ENERTRAG, officially signed the qualified expression of interest (Letter of Intent) on March 19, 2024 at the Foreign Office in Berlin as part of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD). Present at the signing were Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy of Namibia, and James Mnyupe, Green Hydrogen Commissioner and Economic Adviser to the President of Namibia.
Economics Minister Habeck said: “Germany supports 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 ready to do so under certain conditions, to be classified as a foreign project in the strategic interests of the Federal Republic of Germany and thus to enable more than usual support from our foreign trade promotion instruments.”
“The Hyphen project not only contributes to the energy transition, but is also an important testimony to international cooperation in the area of new energy trading partnerships, which is based on a common understanding of democracy. We are very pleased about the trust that the German federal government has placed in us with this letter of support,” says Dr. Tobias Bischof-Niemz , designated board member for international projects & technology at ENERTRAG.
Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy emphasizes: “This MOU reflects the crucial role that projects like ours will play in decarbonizing heavy industry in Europe and beyond, as well as the leading role that Germany is taking in driving global decarbonization . We thank the German government for their recognition of the significant progress of our project and their trust in us as a strategic project for Germany.”
Tom Alweendo, Minister for Mines and Energy in Namibia, highlights the importance for German-Namibia trade relations: “The Hyphen project is the first building block in realizing Namibia’s ambitions to build a successful synthetic fuels industry. The declaration of intent from the German Government is a strong commitment that further strengthens our joint efforts to deepen and diversify our trading relationships.”
Supporting strategic foreign projects is a core goal of the Federal Government. Projects in which German companies are significantly involved, such as the production of green hydrogen, are specifically funded after a comprehensive review that takes into account the German contribution along the entire value chain. The decision to classify a project as strategic depends on its importance for the German economic and industrial location and requires a sophisticated concept that includes details of technologies, equipment and acceptance strategies. ENERTRAG and Hyphen are working closely together to advance this pioneering project and strengthen international cooperation in the field of renewable energies.
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