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South Africa's $5.8-billion green hydrogen-ammonia project is 'going really well'
Episode 72
Published 2 weeks, 5 days ago
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The $5.8-billion green hydrogen-ammonia project in South Africa's Nelson Mandela Bay has been a hard slog but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Mining Weekly can report the venture, for which a green hydrogen generating electrolyser and ammonia loop solution has already been selected, is "going really well" and developer Hive Hydrogen is expected to make "some very big announcements" at next month's Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town.
The Eastern Cape's special economic zone at the Coega port is the site of the project, where construction could potentially begin early next year and commissioning in December 2029.
Hive Hydrogen South Africa chairperson is former Eskom CEO Thulani Gcabashe, whose Built Africa focuses on developing renewable-energy projects in South Africa under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
Backed by Hive Energy and Built Africa, Hive Hydrogen South Africa has since September 2019 been working on establishing a renewable energy-powered green hydrogen-derived ammonia plant capable of producing a million tonnes of product a year.
The conclusion of environmental impact assessment work on Hive Hydrogen's 3 300 MW of renewable energy assets gave rise to environmental authorisation of the 1 000 MW Carissa wind energy facility, near Beaufort West.
Carissa's permitting is the work of a partnership made up of Hive Hydrogen, project developer AMDA Developments, and Blue Crane Environmental, the independent environmental assessment practitioner responsible for leading the environmental impact assessment process.
Coega is one of Hive's three green hydrogen schemes, the other two being Albamed in Spain and Gente Grande in Chile.
Blended finance private equity fund SA-H2, which focuses on the green hydrogen value chain and the Southern African energy transition, has signed a development funding agreement with Hive.
SA-H2, which combines public and private capital, has secured commitments from the European Commission under the Global Gateway, Invest International, South Africa's Public Investment Corporation, on behalf of the Government Employees Pension Fund, Sanlam Life, and the Industrial Development Corporation. The fund is also being supported by the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
SASOL HYDROGEN SYSTEM COMMISSIONED
Also in South Africa, chemicals and synthetic fuels producer Sasol has commissioned a platinum-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyser system at its research and technology campus, in Sasolburg, in the Free State. In addition to Sasol's contribution, the electrolyser was developed with contributions from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation's Hydrogen South Africa programme in partnership with the South African National Energy Development Institute and North-West University.
Central to the deployment of the 2 kW PEM electrolyser system is the beneficiation of South Africa's platinum group metals, which were described by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande as being key to fuelling industries of the future. The Minister added that the project would generate the knowledge required to support the commercialisation and wider deployment of green hydrogen technologies.
China's green technology company Envision Energy is partnering Sasol around the study of a potential green hydrogen system also at Sasolburg. Ammonia Energy Association reports that China is continuing to lead the way in building early green hydrogen supply chains.
In neighbouring Namibia, the African Development Bank has approved a $10million investment to help to kick-start Namibia's green hydrogen project, International Energy Summit
The $5.8-billion green hydrogen-ammonia project in South Africa's Nelson Mandela Bay has been a hard slog but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Mining Weekly can report the venture, for which a green hydrogen generating electrolyser and ammonia loop solution has already been selected, is "going really well" and developer Hive Hydrogen is expected to make "some very big announcements" at next month's Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town.
The Eastern Cape's special economic zone at the Coega port is the site of the project, where construction could potentially begin early next year and commissioning in December 2029.
Hive Hydrogen South Africa chairperson is former Eskom CEO Thulani Gcabashe, whose Built Africa focuses on developing renewable-energy projects in South Africa under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
Backed by Hive Energy and Built Africa, Hive Hydrogen South Africa has since September 2019 been working on establishing a renewable energy-powered green hydrogen-derived ammonia plant capable of producing a million tonnes of product a year.
The conclusion of environmental impact assessment work on Hive Hydrogen's 3 300 MW of renewable energy assets gave rise to environmental authorisation of the 1 000 MW Carissa wind energy facility, near Beaufort West.
Carissa's permitting is the work of a partnership made up of Hive Hydrogen, project developer AMDA Developments, and Blue Crane Environmental, the independent environmental assessment practitioner responsible for leading the environmental impact assessment process.
Coega is one of Hive's three green hydrogen schemes, the other two being Albamed in Spain and Gente Grande in Chile.
Blended finance private equity fund SA-H2, which focuses on the green hydrogen value chain and the Southern African energy transition, has signed a development funding agreement with Hive.
SA-H2, which combines public and private capital, has secured commitments from the European Commission under the Global Gateway, Invest International, South Africa's Public Investment Corporation, on behalf of the Government Employees Pension Fund, Sanlam Life, and the Industrial Development Corporation. The fund is also being supported by the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
SASOL HYDROGEN SYSTEM COMMISSIONED
Also in South Africa, chemicals and synthetic fuels producer Sasol has commissioned a platinum-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyser system at its research and technology campus, in Sasolburg, in the Free State. In addition to Sasol's contribution, the electrolyser was developed with contributions from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation's Hydrogen South Africa programme in partnership with the South African National Energy Development Institute and North-West University.
Central to the deployment of the 2 kW PEM electrolyser system is the beneficiation of South Africa's platinum group metals, which were described by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande as being key to fuelling industries of the future. The Minister added that the project would generate the knowledge required to support the commercialisation and wider deployment of green hydrogen technologies.
China's green technology company Envision Energy is partnering Sasol around the study of a potential green hydrogen system also at Sasolburg. Ammonia Energy Association reports that China is continuing to lead the way in building early green hydrogen supply chains.
In neighbouring Namibia, the African Development Bank has approved a $10million investment to help to kick-start Namibia's green hydrogen project, International Energy Summit