{"id":387506,"date":"2026-08-20T16:17:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/387506\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:17:34","slug":"africas-first-full-stack-hydrogen-hub-powers-up-in-namibia-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/387506\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa\u2019s first full-stack hydrogen hub powers up in Namibia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Namibia is demonstrating what is possible in Africa\u2019s energy transition with the continent\u2019s first fully integrated green hydrogen facility. <\/p>\n

The CMB.TECH Namibia facility in Walvis Bay brings together solar power generation, green hydrogen production, and energy storage in a single operational ecosystem, demonstrating how clean energy can be produced at industrial scale while supporting industrial decarbonisation and long-term energy resilience.<\/p>\n

This landmark project marks a key step in sustainable energy infrastructure. It integrates solar power generation, green hydrogen production, and energy storage within one ecosystem. This shows how clean energy can be produced at scale to support industrial decarbonisation and long-term energy resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica\u2019s first fully integrated green hydrogen facility demonstrates that large-scale clean energy production is not a future ambition, but a present-day reality. Operating successfully in one of the world\u2019s most demanding environments, it showcases the viability of green hydrogen as a cornerstone of the continent\u2019s energy transition,\u201d says\u00a0Sabine Dall\u2019Omo, CEO, Siemens Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

Follow our WhatsApp channel<\/a> for insights on how the power, energy and water sectors are evolving <\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"The solar park at the hydrogen hub in Namibia. Source: Siemens.<\/p>\n

Hydrogen for local industrialisation in Namibia<\/p>\n

The hydrogen produced at CMB.TECH will initially power local industrial applications, like dual-fuel trucks, generators and Namibia\u2019s first hydrogen-powered freight locomotive. In the future, the plant will expand and integrate more with port infrastructure, transforming maritime decarbonisation by refuelling ships with ammonia from green hydrogen. <\/p>\n

This will boost Namibia\u2019s renewable energy use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, especially in the hard-to-decarbonise shipping sector.<\/p>\n

To produce marine fuel, the hydrogen will be combined with nitrogen from the air to create ammonia, which is then liquefied.<\/p>\n

As the technology partner underpinning the operation, Siemens provides the integrated electrical, automation and safety infrastructure that enables seamless coordination across the site, creating a high-availability platform that supports the future of green industrial development.<\/p>\n

Namibia is one of the sunniest countries in the world, with about 300 sunny days a year, and solar power can be harnessed in abundance. In Walvis Bay, that solar power drives an electrolyser that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. To produce marine fuel, the hydrogen will be combined with nitrogen from the air to create ammonia, which is then liquefied.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a region where reliable energy is essential for economic growth and social development, what matters most is a system that simply works,\u201d says Dall\u2019Omo. \u201cThe CMB.TECH plant can only deliver on its promise if all technologies operate seamlessly as one. That is where Siemens makes the decisive difference. Working as a ONE tech company and serving as the unified interface for automation, control, and power distribution, we ensure the facility runs reliably from day one.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur long presence in the region, deep understanding of local conditions, and close collaboration across our businesses help reduce complexity, solve issues quickly, and keep operations stable. In short, we bring the entire system to life, enabling the plant to become a dependable, future-shaping asset for the customer and the wider community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Integrated hydrogen economy<\/p>\n

CMB.TECH is a \u201cLiving Lab\u201d for an integrated hydrogen economy. \u201cThe facility includes a solar-powered off-grid electrolyser for renewable hydrogen production, a refuelling station for hydrogen-powered vehicles and industrial applications, and an on-site Hydrogen Academy for local talent development,\u201d says\u00a0Roy Campe, Chief Technology Officer at CMB.TECH.<\/p>\n

Did you know? Namibia opens solar-powered green hydrogen hub<\/a><\/p>\n

The plant\u2019s 5MWp solar park covers 6.5 hectares and feeds a hydrogen production facility with a 5MW Proton Exchange Membrane electrolyser and a 5.9MWh battery. The fully off-grid electrolyser produces green hydrogen using electricity from the solar park and energy stored in the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).<\/p>\n

CMB.TECH built the facility and is using the green hydrogen for its local industrial applications, making the company its own first customer and ensuring a guaranteed buyer from day one. \u201cMany green hydrogen projects are stalling because, while they invest heavily in solar energy and green hydrogen production, there is often no commercial offtake agreement in place to secure demand for the hydrogen produced,\u201d says Dall\u2019Omo.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Hydrogen refuelling station for bus at hydrogen hub. Source: CBMT.TECH\/LinkedIn<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond its role as an energy production facility, the project illustrates how green hydrogen can accelerate the decarbonisation of transport and logistics value chains. From supporting local mobility solutions to enabling future maritime refuelling infrastructure, it provides a tangible pathway toward lower-carbon industrial and shipping ecosystems,\u201d says\u00a0Wiebke Polomka, Senior Manager: Southern Africa, Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft.<\/p>\n

Hydrogen Academy in Namibia<\/p>\n

In addition to ecological and economic effects, knowledge transfer is central. The Hydrogen Academy on site trains drivers, technicians, and scientists and strengthens the labour market. Today, 24 of the facility\u2019s 25 employees are Namibian and received training through the Hydrogen Academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy partnering with local universities and institutions like the Namibia Institute for Mining Technology, the project is training a new generation of engineers and technicians. This creates a sustainable pipeline of local expertise, positioning Namibia as an exporter of not just green molecules, but also the technical knowledge required to operate and maintain a hydrogen economy,\u201d says\u00a0Johannes Shimbilinga, Municipal Mayor of Walvis Bay.<\/p>\n

The plant also provides a model for collaborative energy transformation. \u201cThe project underscores the importance of ecosystem-led execution in delivering complex energy transitions,\u201d Dall\u2019Omo concludes. \u201cBy bringing together developers, systems integrators, technology partners, and cross-border industry stakeholders, it demonstrates how strategic collaboration can unlock sustainable industrial growth and long-term economic resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current 5MWp solar park occupies only a fraction of the available land. \u201cThe next step is to increase capacity to 250MW, then to 500,\u201d says Campe. \u201cWe want to turn Namibia into a global energy hub and export energy to Europe and the rest of the world. Today we have 7,000 solar panels. In the future, there could be millions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Image: Namibia\u2019s first green hydrogen production plant \u2013 the Hydrogen Dune \u2013 also incorporates a refuelling station and hydrogen academy. Source: Cleanergy Solutions Namibia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Namibia is demonstrating what is possible in Africa\u2019s energy transition with the continent\u2019s first fully integrated green hydrogen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[43],"tags":[8689,1059,24483,30476,102,7428,53233],"class_list":["post-387506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-namibia","tag-clean-energy","tag-green-hydrogen","tag-industrialisation","tag-localisation","tag-namibia","tag-renewable-energy","tag-siemens"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@africa\/117128740880425792","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}