The Green Hydrogen Commissioner says the Namibian government has raised over N$790 million in grant funding for its 24% share in Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and for other green hydrogen projects in the country.

James Mnyupe said this at a media briefing on the recent developments regarding the Green Hydrogen Programme in Windhoek today (Mon).

He says the Green Hydrogen Feasibility Study is estimated to cost about N$1.8 billion, and the government was able to mobilise N$790 million that would enable it to invest not just in Hyphen but in other green hydrogen projects in Namibia.

Of the N$790 million, over N$437 million are for the government’s shares in Hyphen.

He also provided clarity on the tender and award process for the Southern Corridor Development Initiative, stating that the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme carried out the entire process, from inception to award, with utmost transparency and fairness.

Mnyupe revealed that the Request for Proposal (RFP) for this tender was made public in August 2021, and interested bidders were required to pay N$50,000 to access the bid documents.

An independent bid evaluation committee was appointed to evaluate the process, and the outcomes were presented to Cabinet. 

Following the award to Hyphen, Mnyupe says a customary standstill period of seven days was observed to give any bidder an opportunity to challenge the award, of which no challenges were received.

He, therefore, stressed that the awarding process was conducted in strict adherence to the RFP criteria and the Public Procurement Act.