top of page

International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy

republic of south africa

01
02
03
Updated November 2024

· Cabinet approval for Interministerial Committee: In February 2024, the Cabinet approved the establishment of an interministerial committee that the Deputy President of South Africa will chair. It is envisaged that the proposed structure will assist the government to better coordinate projects related to the Hydrogen Economy, speak with one voice and create an enabling environment for more private sector investment.
· DSTI International Hydrogen Energy Centre: The DSTI is embarking on a process of exploring the feasibility of establishing an International Hydrogen Energy Centre (IHEC). The project aims to enhance the institutional capacity to coordinate the implementation of the Hydrogen Society Roadmap (HRSM). Furthermore, the Centre will provide a common arena for coordinating green hydrogen policies and projects amongst ministers and relevant stakeholders from the private sector, civil society and local, and municipal governments, whilst maintaining an objective to operationalise green hydrogen-relevant activities outlined in South Africa’s HSRM. Critical to the success of this approach, is the active participation of ministries, state-owned agencies, and provincial and municipal entities. In this regard, a Project Steering Committee (PSC) has been established to support this initiative.
· Clean Fuel Ammonia Association (CFAA): South Africa became a member of the CFAA in November 2023. The CFAA is a Japanese government-led initiative and aims to establish value chains that focus on using clean ammonia fuels and raw materials, and by promoting the efforts for the formulation of strategies, related technological development, and the implementation thereof in society to contribute to the achievement of a low-carbon society. Other private sector such as SASOL is part of the association. This partnership strengthens the ongoing partnership of South Africa R&D through HySA Infrastructure and Japan through SATREPS intending to build expertise, and skills, and drive innovation in green ammonia production.
· Inaugural Presidential Summit on STI (December 2023): The inaugural Plenary took place on December 12, 2023, at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, bringing together prominent figures from government, industry, academia, and civil society. The event aimed to review progress and address challenges within South Africa's National System of Innovation (NSI), focusing on how advancements in science, technology, and skills development could benefit the nation's economy. During this plenary, President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the Presidential PhD Initiative, backed by an initial investment of R1 billion from the National Skills Fund. The initiative seeks to offer talented South African students’ opportunities for advanced research at top global universities and research centres, with particular emphasis on the green hydrogen economy value chain and hydrogen fuel cell technology.
· Labour Market Intelligence Research Reports (April 2024): In April 2024, the Department of Higher Education and Training in South Africa published a Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) report titled "Identification of Skills Needed for the Hydrogen Economy." This report highlights 138 key roles essential for developing the green hydrogen value chain, including engineers, technicians, skilled trades, specialists, managers, and entry-level positions. It notes a significant skills gap, revealing that many workers currently lack the specific hydrogen-related expertise required to be competitive on a global scale. The report identifies core competencies needed, such as knowledge of hydrogen’s unique properties and associated risks, regulatory and standards compliance, and understanding the electrochemical processes involved in hydrogen production.
· Green Hydrogen Centre of Specialisation: In September 2024, South Africa took a significant step toward advancing its green hydrogen sector by launching the Green Hydrogen Centre of Specialisation (CoS) at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria. This initiative is a collaborative effort among the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA), the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), and the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA). The primary goal of the CoS is to address the growing demand for skilled professionals in the green hydrogen industry by offering specialised training programs. These programs, developed in partnership with select universities and technical colleges, focus on continuous professional development and aim to equip individuals with the necessary skills to thrive in the evolving green hydrogen and derivatives sectors. The establishment of the CoS underscores South Africa's commitment to fostering innovation and supporting the transition to a sustainable green economy.
· Green Hydrogen Just Transition (JET) Secretariat: The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is establishing a green-hydrogen secretariat to serve as a single point of contact for public and private sector coordination. This initiative aims to streamline efforts and foster collaboration in South Africa's emerging green hydrogen economy. The office will also support the efforts of workstreams that are being established to facilitate decision-making on various cross-cutting issues. These relate to project funding, the supply of and demand for green hydrogen, the shared infrastructure needed to lower the capital costs of investments, the provision of support for technology incubation and skills development, the crafting of supportive policy and regulation and ongoing community engagement.
· Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy (GHCS): Developed by the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) and was approved by the Cabinet on October 19, 2023. The strategy builds on the strong foundation of the work undertaken by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) with respect to its HySA programme and the recent development and publication of the Hydrogen Society Road Map (HSRM). The strategy aims to position South Africa as a leading producer and exporter of green hydrogen, contributing to economic growth and supporting the country's Just transition towards reducing carbon emissions. Furthermore, it outlines the global opportunities that South Africa can play, and competitiveness leveraged on SA’ 's endowments of Land, Wind, Solar, Oceans and Green Minerals and existing Petrochemical base. Based on the strategy, It is projected that the hydrogen economy could add 3.6% to the nation's GDP by 2050 and create approximately 370,000 jobs.
· South African Renewable Master Plan (SAREM): The masterplan is still under development by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE): The masterplan aims to leverage the growing demand for renewable energy and storage technologies—focusing on solar, wind, lithium-ion, and vanadium-based battery technologies to promote industrial and inclusive development within South Africa's renewable energy value chains. The SAREM hinges on four pillars, namely, supporting demand, driving industrial development, fostering inclusive development and building capabilities. These pillars aim to support market certainty, and localisation to enable just transition and support skills and technology development.
· SH2AMROCK Project: The HySA Infrastructure is a consortium member of SH2AMROCK Project, which is an EU-funded project. The project aims to roll out green hydrogen across critical, hard-to-decarbonise sectors throughout Ireland, establishing essential infrastructure for its production, distribution, and usage. Over five years, with an investment of around Eur 80 000 000, this initiative will demonstrate how hydrogen can enhance renewable energy penetration through sector coupling. It will also support the broad integration of green hydrogen into Ireland's energy landscape. SH2AMROCK will achieve this by creating Ireland's first hydrogen valley and a multi-modal hydrogen transport hub in Galway, driving forward Ireland’s energy transition and decarbonising a range of end-use sectors. https://www.sh2amrock.eu/
04
Update November 2024

R&D in HySA Centres of Competence:
· HySA Systems: in collaboration with fuel cell companies from China and Russia, has developed liquid-cooled modular fuel cell stacks ranging from 3.6kW to 200kW. Recently, HySA Systems procured a stack assembly line to facilitate the assembly of these fuel cell stacks—the first facility of its kind in South Africa.
HySA Catalysis: In catalyst development, HySA Catalysis has advanced Pt catalyst research, demonstrating that heat-treated, graphitized engineered mesoporous supports significantly enhance Pt particle stability compared to traditional supports. Several high-volume unit operations have been procured or are in progress, enabling catalyst production at a 10 kg/batch scale. These acquisitions are expected to improve batch repeatability, optimize processes, and reduce costs. A new catalyst, Platalite®-K50, has been scaled to 1 kg/batch, expanding Mintek’s commercially relevant catalyst suite to eleven formulations. This intermediate Pt-loading catalyst is suitable for use as both an anode and cathode catalyst in hydrogen PEMFCs, as well as a cathode catalyst in electrolysers. From March to November 2024, HySA Catalysis carried out extensive research and technology development activities on PEMFCs and PEMWELs, resulting in four new prototypes (three for PEMFC MEAs and one for a catalyst used in both PEMFCs and PEMWELs). The centre also filed one intellectual property and published two research papers.
05
Update November 2024

· Hydrogen Production site at Eskom: T
he DSTI is supporting the deployment of the 2kW PEM local electrolyser and an electrochemical hydrogen compressor (EHC) demonstration in collaboration with Sasol to be implemented by HySA Infrastructure (NWU) at Eskom Research, Testing and Development Site (RT&D). The DST has provided a total funding of R4 million. This research will provide SASOL with confidence in the locally produced technology and enable SASOL to develop the skills that SASOL requires for the coming hydrogen economy. The deployment of the electrolyser is in line with the commercialisation strategy of HySA Infrastructure for their laboratory-scale electrolyser as a supplier of hydrogen to gas chromatograms in Africa where the availability of compressed hydrogen cylinders is limited or not safe.

· Platinum Valley Rhynbow Project:
The DSTI is leading the engagements to promote collaboration, investment and innovation in support of the deployment of hydrogen at scale, for the successful implementation of the HSRM and the Platinum Valley Initiative (PVI). The PVI has identified catalytic projects in the mobility, industrial and buildings sectors to kick-start the hydrogen economy in the PVI, which will cost approximately $1.2 billion to implement, with a projected hydrogen demand along the corridor reaching up to 185 000 tonnes of hydrogen by 2030. The DSTI has joined the consortium of industrial partners in implementing Project Rhynbow and has contributed ZAR 1,000,000. Project Rhynbow is a coalition-based initiative that seeks to catalyse the industry’s scale-up of hydrogen adoption through a heavy-duty hydrogen vehicle corridor between Johannesburg, and Durban with a focus on buses and heavy-duty vehicles.

· Hydrogen Production Site in Limpopo:
Construction of the new demonstration site for H2 production at Limpopo is near completion with the practical completion date set for the 13th of November 2024. The site is already equipped with Solar PV and battery storage for green hydrogen generation. The site also consists of a 5 kW hydrogen fuel cell to power a youth centre in a village called Masia.

· Hydrogen Production site at Mintek:
Mintek's renewable energy demonstration system, featuring solar PV, battery storage, a PEM electrolyser with hydrogen storage, and a Power Cell fuel cell stack utilizing Mintek catalysts and HyPlat MEAs, is currently undergoing durability testing as part of its performance evaluation.

· Hydrogen for Domestic Applications:
HySA Infrastructure has developed a thermal generator based on hydrogen recombination technology for domestic applications such as cooking and heating. In Gen 2, air is supplied separately and controlled by the mass flow controller. Two K-type thermocouples were fixed to measure the temperature of the catalyst surface. A hydrogen sensor was added to measure the hydrogen slip. In addition, a sensor was added to monitor the ambient temperature and relative humidity.
06
Updated November 2024

· 2nd South Africa- Japan IEEJ Workshop: In 2023 September/October, the DSI and SANEDI officials attended an Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) organized Africa-Japan Hydrogen Workshop. The site visits for the first IEEJ workshop included Yamanashi Prefecture (Province), Kobe region where visits were undertaken to Kobe Steel, Iwatani Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, and Kawasaki Heavy Industry. In this regard, there will be a 2nd IEEJ South Africa- Japan Workshop that will be held in South Africa from 01-07 December 2024. The workshop will include site visits to the Hive project at Coega, the Sasol green hydrogen and ammonia production site and Saldanha Green Hydrogen and Derivatives Hub.

· 2025 G20 Summit: South Africa is set to assume the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2024, to November 30, 2025, marking the first time an African nation will lead the group. This presidency offers South Africa a unique platform to advocate for the developmental priorities of Africa and the Global South. The African Union's recent admission as a full member of the G20 enhances Africa's voice in global economic discussions. South Africa's leadership is expected to build on the efforts of previous presidencies from the Global South, including Indonesia, India, and Brazil. In parallel to the G20 Summit, South Africa will be hosting the South Africa Green Hydrogen Summit, which serves as a platform for regional collaboration, exemplified by the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, which includes countries like Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa. This alliance aims to harness Africa's potential in developing green hydrogen industries and to make joint calls for technical support, funding, and market access to international public and private sector partners.
07
Updated November 2024

· DSTI Call for Proposals: The DSTI through the Energy Secretariat at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has established the Call for Proposals, which is a dedicated funding mechanism to promote the deployment of large-scale demonstration projects through the establishment of partnerships across the public and private sectors. The DSTI has invested approximately ZAR 40,000,000 into this initiative. The participants are expected to team up with either one or more of the DSTI’s energy RDI Flagship Programmes to develop proposals that seek to facilitate the commercialisation of the flagship programme’s technologies through:
o Local manufacturing of components based on publicly financed intellectual property (IP), with an emphasis on the development of value-added components emanating from the four Energy RDI Flagship Programmes; and
o Smart inbound technology transfer, where in its engagements with global original manufacturers, the DSI has insisted on potential partners agreeing to integrate locally developed technologies into their commercial products, co-development of technology where synergies exist and embracing inbound technology where local expertise does not exist.

· Catalysis Manufacturing Infrastructure: Mintek also has a strategic fuel cell manufacturing programme funded separately for production scale-up and workforce development, with ZAR 30,000,000 allocated. Of this, ZAR 13,885,272 is designated for infrastructure investments, including equipment for fuel cell catalysts and MEA production and facilities construction. The remaining ZAR 16,114,728 supports human capacity development and operational costs.

· Investments in South Africa’s Hydrogen Projects: South Africa’s Green Hydrogen National Programme (GHNP) has attracted projects with a combined capital expenditure (Capex) exceeding ZAR 800 billion, with approximately 20% of these investments currently at the bankable feasibility stage. This progress follows the formal declaration of nine Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) with a Capex totalling R300 billion.
08
09
10
11
South African Statement (PDF); 40th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 5-6 October 2023
South African Statement (PDF); 39th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 26-27 April 2023
South African Statement (PDF); 38th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 29 Nov - 1 Dec 2022
South African Statement (PDF); 37th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 26-27 April 2022
South African Statement (PDF); 36th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 16 - 17 Nov 2021
South African Statement (PDF); 35th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 22 - 25June 2021
South African Statement (PDF); 34th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual 1 - 4 December 2020
South African Statement (PDF); 32nd Steering Committee Meeting; Seoul, Republic of Korea; 21-15 October 2019
South African Statement (PDF); 31st Steering Committee Meeting; Vienna, Austria; 9-12 April 2019
South African Statement (PDF); 30th Steering Committee Meeting; Pretoria, South Africa; 4-7 December 2018
South African Statement (PDF); 29th Steering Committee Meeting; Japan; 8-11 May 2018
South African Statement (PDF); 28th Steering Committee Meeting; Netherlands; 20-23 November 2017
South African Statement (PDF); 25th Steering Committee Meeting; Berkeley, CA, USA; 17-20 May 2016
South African Statement (PDF); 23rd Steering Committee Meeting; Wuhan, China; 27-28 May 2015
South African Statement (PDF); 22nd Steering Committee Meeting; Rome, Italy; 2-3 December 2014
South African Statement (PDF); 21st Steering Committee Meeting; Oslo, Norway; 19-21 May 2014
South African Statement (PDF); 20th Steering Committee Meeting; City of Fukuoka, Japan; 20-21 November 2013
South African Statement (PDF); 19th Steering Committee Meeting; London, United Kingdom; 23-24 May 2013
South African Statement (PDF); 13th Joint Meeting of the ILC & SC; Essen, Germany; May 2010
12

bottom of page