Namibia’s coastal communities and succulents brace as Hydrogen project advances
Neil Shaw of the Namibian Foundation for the Conservation of Seabirds speaks from a windswept office near a lagoon where flamingos feed, warning that local fishing and seabirds could be hit if plans proceed. The government and developers are pushing large-scale plans for hydrogen production and port expansion that conservationists say will put African penguins and rare succulents at risk.
Neil Shaw and Namcob on threats to African penguins
Neil Shaw, based in the port town office, highlights how planned port expansion sits in a bio-sensitive hotspot tied to the Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area, a 400km stretch home to the critically endangered African penguins. “That can have quite severe ramifications on the marine ecosystem that the penguins and other coastal birds rely on, ” Shaw says, pointing to the likely scale-up of fishing and infrastructure around the port if the project gets the green light.
Hydrogen plans by Hyphen in Tsau National Park
Hyphen, a joint venture led by the Germany-based Enertrag, is proposing large solar and wind farms inside Tsau National Park to produce green energy for export. Hydrogen, a highly flammable gas that produces heat and water when it burns, can be used in refining and making chemicals, metals and fertilisers; when renewable energy sources are used instead the hydrogen is labelled “green. ” Hyphen says it is avoiding the most sensitive sites and leaving the smallest possible footprint, yet the scale of infrastructure and the associated port expansion remain central concerns for locals and conservation groups.
Namibian Chamber of the Environment, Chris Brown and the succulents
The Namibian Chamber of the Environment (NCE) says the 26, 000 sq km Tsau area—established out of the former Sperrgebiet—has been a biodiversity hotspot after being largely off-limits for more than 100 years. The NCE has suggested the initiative should be labelled “red hydrogen” because of the risk to unique species, noting that succulents in the park have evolved strategies such as water storage and light reflection to survive the harsh landscape. Chris Brown, head of the NCE, says industrialised countries supporting the projects apply double standards: “The Germans would never allow their top parks to be turned into industrial sites, ” he says, and adds that offshoring impacts on biodiversity to Namibia is unacceptable.
Political debate complicates the picture. Parliamentarians and ministers have offered differing emphases: some call the green hydrogen ambition a campaign promise or a shifting priority, while the Presidency and ministers have maintained the project is part of Namibia’s development planning and the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6). One line minister confirmed there is no stand-alone green hydrogen act but said the sector is nonetheless governed by existing environmental, electricity and water laws.
For communities around the port and the scientists tracking African penguins, the immediate image is of birds and fishing grounds adjacent to plans for industrial-scale energy and export facilities. Shaw speaks from his office near the lagoon where flamingos feed; the project, meanwhile, remains listed in the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), a confirmed element of the nation’s strategy that will shape whether those local scenes change as construction and expansion move forward.
