NEWS

Cleanergy Solutions Namibia has been awarded the JCOI/PTX grant to set up a Hydrogen pilot plant and refuelling station on the coast of Namibia.

“Walvis Bay will become the first hydrogen port in Africa. To kickstart the hydrogen economy it’s key to produce and deliver green hydrogen at an affordable cost. Thanks to the grants it will become economically advantageous for local Namibians to use these new fuels and get acquainted with the technology,” said Roy Campe, Chief Technology Officer of CMB Tech.

The award was announced at the Namibia National Green Hydrogen Conference which was held in the capital city toward the end of August. Eike Krafft, Group Director of Innovations at the O&L Group, advised that €30 million ($29.76m) had been awarded to four projects by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to the Namibian Government.

One of these four projects includes the Cleanergy pilot plant and refuelling station, which is intended to be up and running at the end of 2023.

“We are immensely proud of this initiative which is a first in Namibia. With our training centre, we want to upskill Namibians to kickstart the hydrogen economy in Walvis Bay,” said Krafft.

“For the consumption of the hydrogen, we will look to heavy-duty equipment within the Walvis Bay area. As CMB.TECH, we have developed vast expertise in hydrogen applications. This expertise enables us to support local partners with the necessary technology,” explained Campe.

Globally green hydrogen has been hailed as a vital carrier of non-fossil energy and worldwide countries are trying to decarbonise their industries and guide economies towards a greener energy future.

“We know that Namibia has vast potential to develop a strong green hydrogen industry and become a key player in global energy markets. We have all the ingredients necessary (wind, sun and seawater) to develop a sustainable green hydrogen industrial base to drive socio-economic growth,” said Krafft.