The national green hydrogen roadshow as announced by the Namibian Government and Hyphen Hydrogen Energy reached Mariental on Tuesday.
It aimed to engage stakeholders in the Hardap Region on the Hyphen project and its socio-economic development (SED) framework recently launched in Keetmanshoop.
More than 250 people, including learners from Empelheim Junior Secondary School and Mariental High School, showed up for the meeting chaired by Obeth Kandjoze, Director General of the National Planning Commission and Chairperson of the Green Hydrogen Commission.
Regional heads of line ministries and agencies, control administration officers, traditional authorities, political leaders, the business community, church and youth leaders also attended.
The meeting that lasted for almost the entire day focused on insightful information shared by Kandjoze and Hyphen representative Toni Beukes, the Head of Environment, Social and Governance.
In his opening remarks, Hardap Region Governor Salomon April said that as inhabitants of Hardap, they were delighted to receive the green hydrogen leadership.
“Most of the time we hear things are happening, things took place here and there but oftentimes we are not participants. Probably just benefitting from hearing, this time around the government and Hyphen decided to take a different approach and decided to engage communities so they have the opportunity to ask questions in order to understand,” he said.
Kandjoze gave assurance about the positive social and economic transformation the green hydrogen project will bring to Namibia and in particular the south of the country. This he said will happen as a result of billions of dollars that will be pumped into the Namibian economy over a 40-year period once the green hydrogen project starts to operate.
According to him, the investment is worth N.dollars 200 billion of which 30 per cent is reserved for local procurement, meaning that N.dollars 15 billion worth of goods, services and materials will be supplied by local Namibian companies.
Those in attendance posed questions to Kandjoze and Beukes. Learners wanted to know whether Hyphen would offer employment in the commercial fields or would only cater to science fields.
Beukes responded that the project will be multi-faceted in terms of jobs.
On the question of land ownership by Hyphen, and Government borrowing money to invest in the project, Kandjoze said: “I can be quoted on this, the government has not borrowed any money. Hyphen, the investor is paying for everything during the two years of the planning/feasibility phase, including already even paying royalties and taxes to the Namibian Government.”
The land, he said belongs to the government; Hyphen will only be leasing the land.
Hardap governor April and ||Kharas Region Governor Aletha Frederick have meanwhile been appointed as ex-officio to the Green Hydrogen Council by President Hage Geingob.
The envisaged green hydrogen project will be located in the Tsau-||Khaeb environmentally protected area (Sperrgebiet), 72km north of Lüderitz in ||Kharas. It is projected that Hyphen will employ about 30 000 workers in the starting phase and up to 3 000 permanent workers, with 4 000 employee houses to be constructed.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency