- HDF and EIB build Namibia’s first hydrogen plant.
- Namibia’s green hydrogen industry is worth €500 million.
Hydrogène de France (HDF) builds the first green hydrogen power plant in Namibia in collaboration with a European Investment Bank partner. Hage Geingob, president of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Werner Hoyer, president of the European Investment Bank, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, announced the new green hydrogen collaboration at the Namibian pavilion at COP27.
Nicolas Lecomte, the director of HDF Energy for Southern and East Africa, commended the European Investment for helping to advance the Swakopmund project. “The signature today is a key step of our longstanding engagement with the EIB for the project, which takes us closer to reaching financial close in 2023 and starting construction of the first large-scale green hydrogen project in Africa,” said Lecomte.
Hoyer said they were pleased that the EIB was working closely with HDF Energy to harness Namibia’s solar and wind potential and unlock opportunities for the energy transition. The launch of the new agreement between HDF Energy and the EIB coincided with the European Commission’s announcement of a new sovereign lending facility for Namibia’s green hydrogen industry worth €500 million.
In Swakopmund, Namibia’s Erongo region, HDF Energy is building the Renewable Swakopmund, a green hydrogen power plant. When fully operational, the project would improve local clean electricity generation on-demand and grid support services, directly enhancing Namibia’s security of supply.
Namibia will be able to lower the cost of electricity to end users thanks to the new EIB collaboration with HDF Energy for the Renewable Swakopmund accelerate project implementation. This will also jump-start the use of green hydrogen investments and the development of technical green hydrogen skills in Namibia.