Electricity Minister of South Africa Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has signed a joint declaration with German Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, to establish a South African-German Hydrogen Task Force during the binational commission on 27 June 2023. This strategic partnership will accelerate the commercialisation of green hydrogen projects, industries, and infrastructure in both countries.
The Task Force, an extension of the South African-German Energy Partnership, aims to formalise the bilateral exchange of information on green hydrogen development. It aims to build stronger networks between government, industry, and research institutions in both countries, fostering a collaborative atmosphere to promote the green hydrogen economy.
Closer cooperation and new business and funding opportunities
Key objectives include promoting trade of green hydrogen and Power-to-X (PtX) products, exploring export opportunities from South Africa to Germany, and facilitating bilateral contracts and partnerships. The Task Force also plans to support the transition of grey hydrogen producers to green hydrogen and assist manufacturers in identifying business opportunities in the emerging industry.
The Task Force will explore available funding mechanisms to support the market growth of green hydrogen and PtX value chains, with a focus on region-specific global hydrogen tenders for sub-Saharan Africa.
Advancing South Africa’s Investment Strategy
This initiative interlocks with South Africa’s Investment Strategy, which aims to position the country as a leading African investment destination. As Ramokgopa emphasised, green hydrogen has the potential to place South Africa at the global forefront of green energy, in line with the ambitious National Development Plan’s investment target by 2030. This alliance paves the way for a more sustainable future through the power of green hydrogen.
Images: 1. Copyright by Open Government Partnership under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en. Original file: https://www.flickr.com/photos/opengovpart/21945806244/in/photolist-2hhBQV8-Api9R4-zrgZBJ-anqGZk/. No changes were made. 2. Copyright by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en. Original file: https://flickr.com/photos/44112235@N04/31176800738. No changes were made.
