National Planning Commission Director-General Obeth Kandjoze said Namibia has currently no law that speaks directly to the implementation of the proposed green hydrogen project, stressing that there is a need for government to fast track the governance framework.

Kandjoze on the sideline of a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of park management infrastructure at Cape Cross on Thursday said, once gazetted, the governance framework would direct and address all the issues along the implementation chain of green hydrogen and its commercial aspects.

“The entire rest of the world is interested in the Namibian green hydrogen project, therefore there should be a guideline on how the government is going to regulate this industry where the sun and wind are the resources,” he said.

Kandjoze emphasised that the green hydrogen industry is new with unique components that are not included in the existing laws, noting that government should investigate and implement a law that will ensure protection, growth and diversification to guarantee that every Namibian benefits from the renewable resources.

“How do you base the licensing of this project as it literally involves the wind and sun, how do you define the sizes and blocks of these natural resources, practically it would be through the allocation of land and this should come with regulations,” he said.

He indicated that with the continuous economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the green hydrogen project has a strong potential to change the country’s devastating economic status, and Namibia has an abundance of natural resources needed for green hydrogen production as a renewable energy, which is currently in demand to accelerate the transition to more sustainable forms of energy as the work seek and aspires for zero carbon emissions.

“Green hydrogen has the highest potential to fuel train, cars, planes and industrial parks with zero emissions and it can help Namibia to contribute towards de-risking the climate and the environment yet elevating the economic status. Hence as government, we have a lot of work to do including the implementation of the law,” said Kandjoze.

Source: Namibai Press Agency