Rundu councillor bemoans slow pace of Hyphen projects
Rundu rural constituency councillor Paulus Mbangu on Tuesday voiced concerns about Hyphen Hydrogen Energy’s apparent slow progress during the company’s social and economic development (SED) roadshow in Rundu.
Mbangu, speaking in his closing remarks at the event, lamented the apparent sluggishness of the project’s progress.
“I’m not happy with the pace that IFEM [Hyphen’s development partner] is operating,” he said.
He pointed to missed targets, including the delivery of 1 million tonnes of ammonia by the end of 2023, which has yet to be achieved.
“They are still carrying out feasibility studies this year, next year feasibility study... at the pace that we are operating, obviously that budget will never be met,” he argued.
The councillor contrasted Hyphen’s progress with other privately owned green energy projects he has visited.
“I visited the Ocevela High Iron Green Hydrogen Project in Arandis... they are already done with construction and starting production this year,” he said.
Lack of results
He noted similar advancements at the Davos Green Hydrogen Project, which has completed its ‘village’ and small-scale ammonia production, despite being privately owned and having minimal government stakes.
Furthermore, Mbangu highlighted that, unlike these projects, the national wind turbine site he visited showed no tangible development on the ground.
His remarks underscored a growing frustration that privately owned green hydrogen initiatives appear to be achieving results faster than publicly backed efforts like Hyphen’s.
“It’s a very short period of time... construction is already done. But now with Hyphen, they have no shares there, and all these years nothing has happened,” Mbangu claimed.
We hear you
In response to these concerns, Hyphen’s senior economic development manager, Johannes Shipepe, sought to reassure stakeholders.
Speaking to Namibian Sun this week, Shipepe said Hyphen is following due process to ensure a solid foundation.
“I think Hyphen is following some due processes that it needs to undertake. We are meeting certain timelines and precedents or conditions that we have set for ourselves... and we will continue to execute that,” he said.
Shipepe described Mbangu’s comments not as criticism but as a valuable contribution from the public. “We have designed our stakeholder engagement strategy for exactly these purposes – to engage key stakeholders and help them understand a bit better about what we are doing, how we are doing it, but also how they can participate,” he said.
He further explained that Hyphen’s slower approach was deliberate, to ensure all regulatory and technical steps were thoroughly addressed. “We are not in any rush,” he stressed.
“We are confident that we are executing these activities as per our programme, and hopefully we will start to see the results very soon.”
Hyphen’s visit to Kavango East formed part of an extensive national engagement programme that has already reached ten regions, with three more to follow.
Shipepe assured that the company would continue to engage with communities and stakeholders as part of their effort to demystify their work and incorporate public input.
Mbangu, speaking in his closing remarks at the event, lamented the apparent sluggishness of the project’s progress.
“I’m not happy with the pace that IFEM [Hyphen’s development partner] is operating,” he said.
He pointed to missed targets, including the delivery of 1 million tonnes of ammonia by the end of 2023, which has yet to be achieved.
“They are still carrying out feasibility studies this year, next year feasibility study... at the pace that we are operating, obviously that budget will never be met,” he argued.
The councillor contrasted Hyphen’s progress with other privately owned green energy projects he has visited.
“I visited the Ocevela High Iron Green Hydrogen Project in Arandis... they are already done with construction and starting production this year,” he said.
Lack of results
He noted similar advancements at the Davos Green Hydrogen Project, which has completed its ‘village’ and small-scale ammonia production, despite being privately owned and having minimal government stakes.
Furthermore, Mbangu highlighted that, unlike these projects, the national wind turbine site he visited showed no tangible development on the ground.
His remarks underscored a growing frustration that privately owned green hydrogen initiatives appear to be achieving results faster than publicly backed efforts like Hyphen’s.
“It’s a very short period of time... construction is already done. But now with Hyphen, they have no shares there, and all these years nothing has happened,” Mbangu claimed.
We hear you
In response to these concerns, Hyphen’s senior economic development manager, Johannes Shipepe, sought to reassure stakeholders.
Speaking to Namibian Sun this week, Shipepe said Hyphen is following due process to ensure a solid foundation.
“I think Hyphen is following some due processes that it needs to undertake. We are meeting certain timelines and precedents or conditions that we have set for ourselves... and we will continue to execute that,” he said.
Shipepe described Mbangu’s comments not as criticism but as a valuable contribution from the public. “We have designed our stakeholder engagement strategy for exactly these purposes – to engage key stakeholders and help them understand a bit better about what we are doing, how we are doing it, but also how they can participate,” he said.
He further explained that Hyphen’s slower approach was deliberate, to ensure all regulatory and technical steps were thoroughly addressed. “We are not in any rush,” he stressed.
“We are confident that we are executing these activities as per our programme, and hopefully we will start to see the results very soon.”
Hyphen’s visit to Kavango East formed part of an extensive national engagement programme that has already reached ten regions, with three more to follow.
Shipepe assured that the company would continue to engage with communities and stakeholders as part of their effort to demystify their work and incorporate public input.
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