- President Cyril Ramaphosa says one of the key drivers of infrastructure development is green energy, which has the potential not only to drive industrialisation but to establish a whole new industrial reality.
- The President was delivering the keynote address on the second day of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) hosted by the Presidency last week Thursday.
President Ramaphosa said the Green Hydrogen Export special economic zone to be developed at Boegoebaai in the Northern Cape, with Sasol as an anchor investor, is a major step towards realising South Africa’s potential to be a global leader in green hydrogen.
“It points to a future where tens of gigawatts of renewable energy feed electrolysers at massive scale, producing the hydrogen power fuels of the future.
“We stand ready to be a major exporter in this market – to use hydrogen to rapidly decarbonise our existing industries, and attract industrial investment from across the globe seeking to meet new standards of green power in the production process,” President Ramaphosa said.
The statesman told the guests that the Boegoebaai SEZ will host mass-scale production, but will also source green hydrogen volumes from emerging players such as Mahlako, which is setting up the Prieska Power Reserve, and projects like it across the Northern Cape solar belt.
“This complements the Hydrogen Valley project being spearheaded by Anglo Platinum and Sasol’s partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government to create decarbonised industrial power grids and supply lines for hydrogen-based green aviation fuel,” he said.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
