Namibia: France’s HDF Energy makes its mark in the shadow of Germany’s Enertrag

Working in the shadow of prominent German players developing green hydrogen in Namibia, France’s HDF Energy is also investing in the sector with a no-export strategy that should enable it to come on stream more quickly.

French company Hydrogène de France Energy (HDF Energy) may yet beat Enertrag and Bosch to produce the first green hydrogen in Namibia, despite the German companies’ heavy investments in Africa (AI, 29/06/23). HDF Energy’s activities are going well despite being overshadowed by the German-South African $10bn mega-project joint venture led by Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, an alliance between Enertrag and investment company Nicholas Holdings.

Although neither HDF nor Hyphen has yet made a final investment decision, HDF is aiming to start building its future hydrogen power plant in 2024. Partly financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), it will be located in the coastal town of Swakopmund, 40 km north of Walvis Bay. It should be operational from 2026, earlier than the infrastructure that Hyphen is developing in the Tsau Khaeb National Park (TKNP), a reserve also located on the Atlantic coast in the Namib Desert on the border with South Africa. read more