Enertrag South Africa and H2Uppp investigate the production of green hydrogen in a remote area in South Africa. Enertrag South Africa is developing a Green Industrial Cluster named the Taaibosch Puts Energy Cluster near Lime Acres in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The project is seeking to leverage the region’s abundant solar and wind resources, as well as land availability, for the development of GW-scale renewable energy (RE) assets to generate electricity and to produce green hydrogen and derivatives. The International Hydrogen Ramp-up Programme (H2Uppp) and Enertrag have agreed to analyse in a public-private partnership (PPP) cooperation the potential and conditions for the development of a collector grid and optimal transport options for PtX products to demand and export centers. The cooperation is one of H2Uppp’s two first PPPs in South Africa.
Overcoming Grid and Logistical Challenges
Despite ideal renewable energy conditions, PtX projects in the Northern Cape Province need to factor grid constraints and limited logistical connectivity into their planning. The 2023 South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey reports over 9000 MW of renewable energy projects in the Northern Cape are likely to struggle under current grid connection practices.
Innovative Solutions through Public-Private Collaboration
The Taaibosch project explores solutions to these hurdles through public-private collaboration with H2Uppp: In a conceptual collector grid analysis, the partnership will explore the creation of an independent ecosystem of generators and users with a single connection to the national transmission grid, optimizing grid capacity and lowering costs. Additionally, a comprehensive assessment will examine transportation options for PtX chemical products to domestic demand centers and export ports.
Enhancing Feasibility and Future Insights
By addressing grid access and transportation issues, the Taaibosch project aims to design optimal configurations and enhance the feasibility of PtX projects. This initiative offers valuable insights for future renewable energy, green hydrogen, and PtX initiatives in similar regions, ensuring that stakeholders have clarity on grid connection and transport options without the actual construction of the plant being part of this specific project.
Enertrag South Africa is a subsidiary of Enertrag SE, a German company that develops, builds and operates energy solutions from wind, photovoltaics and green hydrogen.
The International Hydrogen Ramp-up Programme (H2Uppp) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) promotes projects and market development for green hydrogen in selected developing and emerging countries as part of the National Hydrogen Strategy.
