欧盟计划与纳米比亚达成氢气协议

据油气新闻网7月4日报道，欧盟和纳米比亚官员近日表示，欧盟正计划与纳米比亚达成一项协议，以支持该国新兴的绿色氢产业，并增加其自身的燃料进口，同时欧盟正在努力减少对大国能源的依赖。

长期以来，氢一直被视为化石燃料的一种低排放替代品，但尽管它在欧盟（主要是重工业和交通运输业）得到了一些应用，但高昂的成本和基础设施的缺乏限制了它的消费，而且这种燃料仅占欧盟能源需求的2%。

欧盟消耗的大部分氢是用天然气生产的所谓“灰色”或“蓝色”氢，这推高了成本和相关排放。这使得更容易获得绿色氢，使使用可再生能源成为优先事项。

5月欧盟能源战略目标设定了到2030年进口至少10吨绿色氢气，另外1000万吨将在欧盟内部生产。

据一名欧盟官员称，根据该计划，欧盟将于11月在埃及举行的联合国气候变化会议上与纳米比亚签署一份关于氢和矿物的谅解备忘录。

南非国家计划委员会总干事Obeth Kandjoze对路透表示，绿色氢协议正在进行中，但未对矿物置评。

欧盟委员会拒绝对可能的交易发表评论，但表示正在纳米比亚开展绿色氢项目。

这些官员没有就运输燃料的相关费用发表评论。谅解备忘录通常没有涉及进口数量、投资和交货时间的细节，但它们是为长期伙伴关系铺平道路的重要政治承诺。

世界上最干旱、人口密度最低的国家之一的纳米比亚，正试图利用其巨大的太阳能和风能潜力生产绿色氢气。

德国政府已经同意向纳米比亚的绿色氢气投资4000万欧元（约合4180万美元），比利时和荷兰的公司也在该国的这一领域开展业务。

据官员表示，欧盟对纳米比亚的直接资助可能有限，但如果达成协议，可能会吸引其他投资者，并通过绿色债券融资。

这位欧盟官员表示，欧盟还希望更容易获得纳米比亚的矿产资源，并计划开展地质项目来勘探这个几乎相当于法国和德国领土总和的国家的资源。

郝芬 译自 油气新闻网

原文如下:

EU plans hydrogen deal with Namibia

The European Union is planning a deal with Namibia to support the country's nascent green hydrogen sector and boost its own imports of the fuel, EU and Namibian officials said, as the bloc works to reduce its dependence energy.

Hydrogen has long been touted as a less emissions-heavy alternative to fossil fuels, but while it has seen some uptake in the EU, chiefly in heavy industry and transportation, high costs and a lack of infrastructure have limited consumption, and the fuel covers just 2 per cent of the bloc's energy needs. 

Most EU consumption is of so-called "grey" or "blue" hydrogen produced using gas, which drives up costs and related emissions. That has made easier access to green hydrogen, made using renewable energy, a priority. 

The EU's energy strategy in May set a goal of importing at least 10 tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030, with another 10 million tonnes to be produced within the bloc.

Under the plan, the EU would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Namibia on hydrogen and minerals at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Egypt in November, one EU official said. 

The director-general of the southwest African country's National Planning Commission, Obeth Kandjoze, told Reuters work was underway for a deal on green hydrogen, but did not comment on minerals.

The European Commission declined to comment on the possible deal, but said it was working on green hydrogen projects in Namibia.

The officials did not comment on the costs associated with transporting the fuel. MoUs usually carry little detail about import volumes, investments and delivery timings, but they are important political commitments that pave the way for long-term partnerships.

Namibia, one of the world's driest and least densely populated countries, is trying to harness its vast potential for solar and wind energy to produce green hydrogen.

The German government has already agreed to invest 40 million euros ($41.8 million) in Namibia's green hydrogen, and Belgian and Dutch companies are also operating in the country in that field.

The official said direct EU funding for Namibia was likely to be limited, but a deal could attract other investors and funding via green bonds. 

The EU also wants easier access to minerals in Namibia, and plans geological projects to explore the resources of a country which is nearly as big as the combined territory of France and Germany, the EU official said.