Dr Robert Habeck, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, officially handed over the signed qualified Letter of Intent to Dr Gunar Hering, CEO of ENERTRAG, at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on 19 March 2024 as part of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD). Present at the signing ceremony were Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy of Namibia, and James Mnyupe, Green Hydrogen Commissioner and Economic Advisor to the President of Namibia.

Economics Minister Habeck commented as follows: "Germany supports the development of a green hydrogen economy in Namibia that is sustainable for the population by means of a hydrogen and PtX co-operation. The ‘Hyphen’ project is involved in a similar way. We are therefore prepared, under certain conditions, to categorise it as a foreign project in the strategic interest of the Federal Republic of Germany and thus provide more support than usual through our foreign trade promotion instruments."

"The Hyphen project not only contributes to the energy transition, but is also an important testimony to international cooperation in the field of new energy trading partnerships based on a shared understanding of democracy. We are very pleased about the trust that the German government has placed in us with this letter of support,’ said Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz, designated member of the Executive Board for International Projects & Technology at ENERTRAG.

Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy emphasises: ‘This letter of intent reflects the crucial role that projects like ours will play in decarbonising heavy industry in Europe and beyond, as well as the leading role that Germany is taking in promoting global decarbonisation. We thank the German government for recognising the significant progress of our project and their confidence in us as a strategic project for Germany."

Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy in Namibia, emphasises the importance for German-Namibian trade relations: ‘Hyphen's project is the first building block in the realisation of Namibia's ambition to build a successful synthetic fuel industry.

The German government's declaration of intent is a strong commitment that further strengthens our joint efforts to deepen and diversify our trade relations."Supporting strategic foreign projects is a core objective of the German government.Projects in which German companies play a key role, such as the production of green hydrogen, receive targeted support following a comprehensive review that takes into account the German contribution along the entire value chain. The decision to categorise a project as strategic depends on its importance for Germany as a business and industrial location and requires a fully developed concept that includes details of technologies, equipment and purchase strategies.ENERTRAG and Hyphen are working closely together to drive forward this forward-looking project and strengthen international co-operation in the field of renewable energies.