The Electricity Control Board of Namibia (ECB) is ready to engage with stakeholders to facilitate investment and innovation in the Green Hydrogen sector, ensuring alignment with national energy policies and goals.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Kahimise says that as the electricity sector regulator, the ECB will perform its role with regard to the licensing of generating plants for green hydrogen production.
“Once transformed into the Namibia Energy Regulatory Authority (NERA), and if the green hydrogen mandate is allocated to NERA by the government, NERA will ensure that a regulatory framework is developed that supports the development and integration of the Green Hydrogen sector. This includes establishing guidelines and standards that ensure safety, efficiency, and sustainability in hydrogen production and usage,” says Kahimise.
The Namibian regulator says it sees green hydrogen as a key component in the country’s transition to a sustainable energy future. It offers potential for electricity generation, energy storage, decarbonisation of various industries, export opportunities, and for Namibia to reduce its dependence on electricity imports.
“The ECB views green hydrogen as a complementary energy source that can enhance energy security, diversify the energy mix, and contribute to reducing carbon emissions, in addition to its contribution to green industrialisation, economic growth and employment,” says the ECB CEO.
A diverse energy mix, including renewable energy, green hydrogen, and potentially nuclear power, can coexist and contribute to a reliable and sustainable energy supply in Namibia, the ECB believes. Such developments, however, must take cognisance of the national demand, the affordability of the new generation sources, the evacuation capacity of the transmission grid, and export opportunities.
“Each energy source has its own advantages and can be leveraged to meet different energy needs, ensuring energy security and supporting economic growth,” says the ECB CEO.
The emerging Green Hydrogen sector is expected to play a key role in achieving energy independence by supplying excess electricity to the national grid. In line with NDP6 targets, Namibia aims to produce 143 GWh of green baseload electricity by 2030, up from zero in 2024.
Additionally, the sector is projected to create 30,000 jobs, supporting both economic growth and the energy transition. This positions green hydrogen not just as an export commodity but as a strategic enabler of Namibia’s energy independence and economic diversification.
While the ECB has not set a definitive timeline for Namibia’s complete independence from electricity imports, national planning documents such as NDP6 indicate clear ambitions toward energy self-sufficiency by 2030. A key target is to increase the national electrification rate from 59.3% in 2024 to 70% by 2030, prioritising expanded access to electricity for both households and industry.
A central focus during this period, the ECB says, is the development of dispatchable, utility-scale generation infrastructure, aimed at delivering reliable, affordable, and clean energy. These investments are critical for reducing electricity costs, strengthening national energy security, and supporting future industrialisation and economic expansion.
The ECB acknowledges that Namibia’s grid stability is a critical challenge in integrating renewable energy sources and that to address this, it is ensuring that transmission planning is taking place to enable grid infrastructure upgrades and expansions to accommodate increased renewable energy generation and transmission. “There are ongoing efforts to enhance grid resilience and capacity, which include investments in transmission technologies and interconnections with neighbouring countries to support the integration of variable renewable energy sources,” says Kahimise.
