South Africa’s Plans for a ‘Hydrogen Valley’
May 23, 2023 7:01 am
South Africa’s Plans for a ‘Hydrogen Valley’
1 min read
Shortly after Anglo American’s announcement of the world’s largest hydrogen truck due to be used in their mines, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced himself that South Africa was planning on forming a ‘hydrogen valley’.
The hydrogen valley, or hydrogen corridor, is a route that will consist of transportation hubs and production sites of green hydrogen gas which is used for the manufacturing of ammonia and fertilisers as well as petroleum products. The proposed ‘hydrogen valley’ or ‘hydrogen highway’ will flow from Limpopo to KwaZulu-Natal through Gauteng, spanning about 823 km.
The news comes just months after Sasol announced that they had begun conducting several feasibility studies for the formulation of a hydrogen valley in South Africa, mostly centred on the Northern Cape.
If successful, the hydrogen valley is expected to create numerous jobs and position South Africa in the forefront for green hydrogen (hydrogen produced using clean energy) production and exports globally. CEO of Anglo Platinum, Natascha Viljoen, says the hydrogen valley will create 14 000 jobs. It has also been projected by Jackwell Feris, a commercial expert at Cliffee Dekkerv, that South Africa’s green hydrogen projects could add between R70 billion and R160 billion to the country’s GDP. In addition to this, it is speculated that it could be a trade-free zone, and that the price for hydrogen in this region will be much cheaper than in the rest of the country.
What are your thoughts on the hydrogen valley? How long before you think it will materialise? Share your thoughts by replying to this email!
Don’t forget to check out our blog post on Anglo American’s hydrogen truck here.
For more information on hydrogen energy, or any other energy related articles, view the blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9am CAT.
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