7 days ago
Green hydrogen to power South Africa's future economy and job creation
Green hydrogen is set to play a defining role in South Africa's future energy mix, economic growth, and youth employment opportunities.
This is according to Electricity and Energy Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa said South Africa is uniquely placed to lead the green hydrogen economy – an industry projected to exceed $300b (R60b) in global exports over the next 30 years.
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'Green hydrogen is a big part of the South African growth story because it helps us to beneficiate our upstream endowments in the form of our platinum group metals (PGMs),' he said.
'Mining has the highest employment absorption capacity of any sector, so it's going to help get more people into employment.'
South Africa is home to 80% of the world's PGMs and 40% of global platinum and palladium reserves – key ingredients in the hydrogen production process.
Beyond its economic potential, green hydrogen offers solutions to decarbonising South Africa's hardest-to-abate sectors, particularly transport and energy.
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Ramokgopa noted that while Eskom is addressing electricity-related emissions, the country needs additional technology to reduce emissions in aviation and shipping – a gap green hydrogen can help close.
'It's going to help us transition and diversify our energy sources. With maturity, the cost of the technology will drop, making it a viable solution for South Africa,' he said.
Aligning Africa's strategy
The upcoming Africa Green Hydrogen Summit will focus on aligning African policy and investment to fully harness the continent's renewable potential.
'Africa can produce up to 60% of global renewable energy, but currently receives less than 1% of the total investment. Coordination is key,' Ramokgopa stressed.
Jobs for the future
The green hydrogen economy is expected to unlock thousands of jobs, particularly for South Africa's youth, across manufacturing, science, technology, and engineering sectors.
Two PhD graduates, Dr Mphoma Matseke and Dr Victor Mashindi, currently working at Isondo Precious Metals, shared their experience with SAnews.
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'Young people often don't know what green energy is. This platform can change that,' said Matseke.
'It feels amazing to be working at the cutting edge of technology. You leave university having studied science and end up in finance. Now, we can apply our knowledge to real problems, and that's exciting.'
He encouraged young people to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields, especially chemistry, to participate in what he called a 'bright future' powered by green energy.
