Namibia on course for low carbon emission

MINISTER of environment, forestry and tourism Pohamba Shifeta has expressed confidence that Namibia is on the right track to achieve its long-term low-emission goal.

Shifeta said this at the World Green Economy Summit in Dubai yesterday.

“The green hydrogen project is expected to produce about five terawatts of electricity. This would exceed domestic demand and make Namibia’s electricity 100% renewable by 2030,” he said.

Shifeta said green hydrogen also has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from the transport sector.

“Our nationally determined contributions promises to convert more than 120 000 fuel combustion engine vehicles to run on green hydrogen. This includes cars, light delivery vehicles, heavy duty vehicles and boats or ships by 2030.

“Therefore, I can confidently say Namibia is definitely on the right track to achieve its long-term low-emission development goal,” he said.

However, Shifeta expressed concerns over the challenges of the initiative.
“The challenges we foresee include storage and transportation facilities, and the distance from the potential markets also presents a competitive challenge.

“However, with the development of new technologies, we hope these challenges can be addressed so that Namibia could develop a vibrant green hydrogen economy,” he said.

He said Namibia has had a number of initiatives in place to promote renewable energy for the past 10 years.

“We now have about 120 megawatts of installed capacity from solar energy sources. This has been achieved through private sector investment and facilitated through a comprehensive policy on power purchase agreements between the state-owned enterprise, NamPower, and independent power producers.

“There is a Cabinet directive to have all the public schools and hospitals, as well as other government buildings electrified with solar energy, including solar water heating systems.

“Most importantly, our nationally determined contribution commits to promoting the production of electricity through renewable energy sources, including green hydrogen,” he said.

Shifeta further elaborated on Namibia’s Vision 2030, which aligns with solar energy potential.

“Vision 2030 has three objectives that speak directly to the solar energy potential of our country. Such objectives are to transform Namibia into an industrialised country of equal opportunities, which is globally competitive, realising its maximum growth potential on a sustainable basis, with improved quality of life for all Namibians.”