Green hydrogen project and regional councils tackle skills development

Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and leadership of the Hardap and //Kharas regions have agreed to jointly address skills development in the two regions for the nascent green hydrogen industry.

Hardap governor Salomon April on Thursday said that the parties have agreed to form a joint working group to explore collaborative effort in driving skills development alongside government and international efforts.

The government has prioritised green hydrogen – and its derivatives – as a cornerstone for economic growth and global decarbonisation efforts, by leveraging its abundant renewable energy resources to become a major player in the green hydrogen market.

In the //Kharas region, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy aims to develop the US$9.4-billion (about N$173 billion) large-scale vertically integrated green hydrogen project, located at the Tsau-Khaeb National Park near Lüderitz.

The project, which is expected to commence with construction in 2026, is anticipated to create 12 000 jobs during construction and 3 000 permanent jobs once operational. All parties to the joint working group have said the numbers underscore the critical challenge of ensuring the 12 000 workers employed during construction are equipped with skills that remain relevant even if they do not secure employment during the operational phase.

“For Namibia to take full advantage of these opportunities, developing the right skills is crucial to enabling our people to participate in the hydrogen economy. Hyphen believed this collaboration can leverage synergies and resources to create focused initiatives that address the unique needs of each region,” said the governor.

During the launch of its socioeconomic development framework last year, Hyphen’s head of environment, social and governance, Toni Beukes, said the framework highlights the specific benefits and opportunities the project will bring to Namibia.

Beukes said the document sets out the process to agree the project’s targets in respect of employment, local procurement, skills development and enterprise and supplier development – the combined breadth of which has not previously been part of infrastructure or natural resource agreements concluded by the government.

“The [framework] goes further than existing Namibian legal requirements and reflects Hyphen’s commitment to maximising Namibian participation in the project.

In partnership with the central, regional and local government, we aim to co-create solutions with local communities as we develop a road map for the delivery of a comprehensive socio-economic development strategy.” said Beukes.

To formalise their agreement, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and the Hardap and //Kharas regional councils are expected to sign an agreement on 25 February at Mariental in the Hardap region.