Business Reporter
EARLIER this month, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Hyphen) was the exclusive Sustainability Partner at the inaugural Global African Hydrogen Summit (GAHS) 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia held from 3 to 5 September 2024.
The GAHS, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN), provided Hyphen with an opportunity to engage with other thought leaders on the continent on topics critical to the development of Africa’s hydrogen industry.
The summit’s theme was Ambition to Action, driving partnerships, critical investments, and financing into green energy projects of strategic and national importance across Africa.
Sanjay Korteweg, communications specialist, said that Hyphen played a prominent role in the summit, participating in various discussion panels and providing an update on recent developments in the project, including the opening of a new office in Lüderitz, growing its team of 26 full-time employees, and being confirmed to be in the final process of being designated as a foreign project of strategic national interest to Germany.
“Hyphen has completed its meteorological masts programme, erecting 10 masts to measure the renewable energy potential of the site, and has been preparing for the official commencement of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) process after 18 months of planning and preliminary investigations,” Korteweg said.
He added that the Hyphen team also welcomed a delegation of German government officials to visit its site in the Tsau //Khaeb National Park (TKNP), near Lüderitz.
Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development; European Commissioner for Energy, H.E. Kadri Simson; Dr Rainer Baake, German Special Envoy to Namibia; and other officials from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWK) visited Hyphen’s new offices in Lüderitz and the proposed location for the port facilities.
“Hyphen was delighted to win the Communities Engagement of the Year Award at the Global African Hydrogen Summit Awards. The organisation constantly and consistently engages with a wide range of stakeholders—from government bodies to local communities—listening to their insights and feedback on our socio-economic development (SED) framework. This Communities Engagement of the Year Award is recognition for all the work that is carried out in the communities,” Korteweg said.
Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen, said: “The inaugural Global African Hydrogen Summit taking place in Windhoek showed the leading role that Namibia is playing, not only in Africa but globally, in accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the area of green hydrogen. We are proud that we were the Summit’s exclusive sustainability partner and were thrilled to welcome distinguished global leaders from the EU and Germany to our project site.”
