A new factory to be built by Germany in southern Africa threatens to destroy a protected national park
A head-on clash is currently going on between Namibian environmentalists and the government of that southern African nation and Germany. The influential environmental organization Namibia Chamber of Environment (NCE) has called for an immediate halt to the construction of green hydrogen plants supported and funded by the German government in the Tsau Khaeb National Park on the country’s southern coast.
The project, called Hyphen dates back to 2021, when an international consortium led by Enertrag, a German company active in energy transition processes, was awarded a contract to start hydrogen production in part of the National Park.
The protests by African environmentalists had a strong resonance not only at home but also in Germany. In an interview with German magazine Bild, NCE president Chris Brown said that “construction work should never have started in a protected area. The Hyphen project must be stopped, as it could damage biodiversity, landscape, sense of place, and the future of tourism.”
“I don’t think,” Brown went on to say, “that the Greens in Germany will sacrifice a national park. Germany’s energy policy is a disaster. They have shut down nuclear power plants and are replacing them with coal, gas, and hydrogen, which is damaging biodiversity in Namibia. Greens are obsessed with climate and forget about the environment. It’s not rational.”
Responding to criticism from Namibian environmentalists, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said – again to Bild – that “this location was chosen by the Namibian government because it has exceptional wind and solar conditions compared to international standards and wants to use this advantage to lift the country out of poverty.” A Hyphen project spokesperson also added that “environmental studies carried out to the highest international standards ensure that the plants will only be built where there is no risk to biodiversity.”