Green hydrogen development in //Karas

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEKNamibia will avail over 5 700 square kilometres in the //Karas Region for the potential development of green hydrogen and ammonia assets.This is expected to double the region’s employment and triple the installed renewable energy generation capacity for the entire country.This is according to President Hage Geingob, who was speaking at the High-Level Session of the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26) on Tuesday.He is also scheduled to speak at a pavilion session today, where he will share more details about how Namibia will partner with governments and the private sector to develop its Green Hydrogen Economy. Also on the agenda will be the impact this will have on the creation of opportunities for the youth as the region recovers from the drought and the Covid-19 pandemic.The conference is being held in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November.The global climate summit, at which some 200 countries are participating, brings parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.Geingob said COP 26 is the international community’s last chance to collectively overcome the disconnect between a dividend international system and a global calamity that threatens everyone.According to him, Namibia is taking transformative steps towards honouring this responsibility. Consign coal to historyHe said, along with the world, Namibia is experiencing widespread and devastating impacts of key facets on civilisation, which include droughts and devastating veld fires that are destroying large tracts of agriculture land and adversely impacting livelihoods, human health and well-being.“For these COP negotiations, there are critical objectives that are crucial to protect us all from the impacts from runaway climate change, breakdown of the biosphere and the death of the world’s oceans.”Geingob said Namibia supports the UN secretary-general’s push to “consign coal to history”.“Namibia will support the phasing out of coal in our region by significantly scaling up solar and wind energy to support domestic demand, while working with our neighbours to responsibly phase out existing coal generation in the Southern African Power Pool and transform our region’s energy map,” he said.He added that Namibia’s support for scaling up climate finance calls for the US$100 billion target for climate finance to be surpassed as a target, with a clear roadmap on how the committed amounts will be delivered. Grants rather than loans“We urge for an increased volume of grants - rather than loans - to make it possible for emerging economies carrying high debt burdens to kickstart transformative projects,” Geingob said.According to him, Namibia has amplified its 2015 pledge in the Nationally Determined Contributions, and now aspires to reduce its emissions by 91% before the end of this decade.The estimated investment required to achieve this target is approximately US$5.3 billion, 10% of which is unconditional.ellanie@namibiansun.com

Green hydrogen development in //Karas

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-05

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Green hydrogen development in //Karas

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-05

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