Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibia and South Korea are having discussions on possible partnerships in the green hydrogen industry.
The Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGH2P) recently participated in a high-level policy forum in Seoul, which was co-hosted by South Korea’s National Assembly and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
According to a statement issued by (NGH2P), the event aimed to foster international collaboration and strengthen the green hydrogen value chain.
Seung-kwan Han, a brand ambassador for Jeju Province, says the forum was a vital platform for promoting Namibia to strategic South Korean corporations like Samsung, LG, Hyundai-Kia, SK, and Doosan.
“This forum was a significant opportunity to promote Namibia at a dedicated, high-level event focused on green hydrogen,” he says.
Han says the two nations’ shared history of colonisation provides a unique foundation for empathetic and friendly collaboration.
He says the two nations should consider establishing a Namibian embassy in South Korea to facilitate stronger bilateral relations.
NGH2P spokesperson Jona Musheko says the forum provided an excellent platform for Namibia to showcase its green hydrogen ambitions through various projects.
He says although South Korea is eager to transition towards clean energy, it currently lacks the capacity to generate sufficient renewable energy for large-scale green hydrogen production at a cheaper price per kilogramme, which is around US$12 (N$209.90), compared to Namibia slightly less than UD$5 (N$87.46).
“This creates an opportunity for partnerships with countries like Namibia, where production costs can be more competitive. Securing offtakers remains one of the key determinants for the success of these projects,” Musheko says.
South Korea has set clear targets for 2030, 2035, and 2050 on its path to becoming a net-zero carbon economy, and green hydrogen will play a critical role in meeting those targets.
According to the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the country has a renewable energy production capacity of over 250GW, making it a globally competitive low-cost green hydrogen producer and exporter at US$1.50/kg.
This advantage positions the Southern Development Corridor Initiative as a prime location for green hydrogen exports, expected to reach 10 to 15 Mt/pa worth US$35 billion (about N$612 billion).
The cost of electricity and electrolysis are critical factors in green hydrogen production, with prices expected to decline as production costs decrease.
Namibia is constructing its first large-scale green hydrogen plant, a US$9.4-billion (N$174 billion) project that is sat to create permanent 3 000 jobs and 15 000 construction jobs over four years.
Major projects are the Hyphen Hydrogen Energy Project, aiming to build sub-Saharan Africa’s largest green hydrogen facility, and the Dâures Green Hydrogen Village, a pilot project focusing on sustainability and local community involvement.
Additional initiatives from companies like Cleanergy Solutions and Hylron further underline Namibia’s growing role in this sector.
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