Source: Energy Capital & Power
Namibia and the EU have launched a strategic roadmap for the development of sustainable raw materials value chains and green hydrogen in the southern African country, thereby advancing a partnership signed between the two in 2022.
Incorporating a technical study, the roadmap outlines concrete steps for transforming the Port of Walvis Bay in Erongo Region into a regional and logistics hub, and is poised to drive green industrialization, economic decarbonization, job creation, and energy development in the southern African country.
Representing the next steps for the partnership, the 2023-2025 roadmap is endorsed by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and Namibia’s President, Hage Geingob, and is backed by $1.05 billion in investments by the EU and its member states.
“The EU needs to secure a sustainable supply of raw materials, especially those in delivering green and clean energy objectives,” the European Commission indicated in a statement, adding, “As part of the Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials, the Commission is already building partnerships with resource-rich third countries.”
Meanwhile, a master plan for the development of the Port of Walvis Bay will be prepared by Belgian port authority, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, and will involve multimodal infrastructure, spatial planning, and market organization.
Poised to serve as a vital gateway for international trade in the Southern African Development Community region, the development will focus on the Walvis Bay-Maputo Corridor, a coast-to-coast corridor linking the Atlantic to the Western Indian Ocean.
The EU-Namibia partnership will be essential for the development of large-scale infrastructure needed to support the processing and export of critical minerals and green hydrogen, which will be imperative for Europe to reach its 2030 climate targets and support the global energy transition.
