GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
30 November 2022
GOOD welcomes the progress being made in advancing the Green Hydrogen industry which provides a game-changing opportunity to bolster the economy and South Africa’s transition to renewable energy.
GOOD Leader and Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia De Lille, has been a driving force behind this project.
We expect that South Africans will be relieved to observe the progress we are making to harvest the opportunities that are presented to South Africa as we navigate the transition to green and new forms of energy.
The gravity and urgency of the energy crisis, combined with the climate crisis, deserve nothing less than our leaders taking meaningful action.
With a R300 billion investment pipeline announced at the South African Green Hydrogen Summit this month, the Department of Public Works will be leading the way in bringing the sector to life, in conjunction with the recently announced Infrastructure Development Act.
South Africa has all of the components needed to eventually become a global supplier of this vital source of green energy by 2050, replacing export markets that will dry up as the global demand for coal exports evaporates.
Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. It is one of the three key pillars of the Just Energy Transition’s Partnership (JETP) $8.5 billion investment into South Africa.
The emergence of this new sector will provide a massive boost for economic growth, especially in the transport and mining sectors. Critically, it is a large jobs-absorber – thus addressing South Africa’s twin energy and unemployment crises simultaneously.
As one of the most valuable trading sectors, mining is where green hydrogen needs to be implemented first. This new technology has already been used successfully to create various pieces of mining infrastructure and to power vehicles.
With more refinement, Green Hydrogen could also fuel the process of rebuilding our transport sector, specifically our railway systems. In Germany, we already see some towns using trains entirely powered through Hydrogen.
Currently the Prieska Power Plant is set to be the main domestic production plant, not only for Green Hydrogen but also with an additional focus on fuel cell creation. These cells are critical components of electric and hybrid vehicles, adding further economic opportunities and paving the way for the transition of the automotive industry – while delivering jobs and providing local beneficiation in the supply chain.
South Africa now has a total of nine registered projects, including Prieska, and we are positioning ourselves as a continental and global leader in renewable energy, and the country will reap the rewards over the longer term.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za