SOUTH AFRICA

GREEN HYDROGEN

SUMMIT 2023

SOUTH AFRICA GREEN HYDROGEN Summit 2023

Overview of SAGHS 2023

The first South African Green Hydrogen Summit 2022 put South Africa on the map of project developers as the investment destination of choice, showing South Africa’s ambitions and the integration of South African regions. In 2023 we took the next step – the summit was more international and discussions on production and application of Green Hydrogen and Power to X more concrete. This summit helped to pave the way for the machines on the ground.

Green hydrogen and its associated large scale renewable energy production has the potential to support the expansion of the electricity transmission infrastructure, to add additional renewable energy generation capacity and to support the local development of renewable energy. As such it is a key component of South Africa’s future energy mix and features as one of the Big Five Frontiers in the South Africa Investment Strategy. Regional and continental collaboration by African states is key to achieving green hydrogens potential as a vector to reindustrialise South Africa’s economy in a manner which is sustainable.

From the 28th to the 30th of November 2022, the Presidency hosted the inaugural South Africa Green Hydrogen Summit (SAGHS) in Cape Town. The SAGHS showcased the country’s offering as a large scale, low cost, world class green hydrogen production hub and total value chain investment destination. It put South Africa on the map of project developers as the investment destination of choice, showing South Africa’s ambitions and the integration of South African regions.

South Africa is one of the founding members of the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance (AGHA). AGHA is a voluntary coalition of African countries with significant green hydrogen production potential and seeks to promote continental green hydrogen cooperation. The other founding members of AGHA include Namibia, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania. Senior delegations from the other founding members of AGHA attended the SAGHS 2022 and were provided with a platform to promote their green hydrogen potential. These platforms included dedicated country sessions and the opportunity for their representatives to participate on high level panels.

SAGHS 2022 pronounced on South Africa’s solid green hydrogen policy foundation. SAGHS 2023, built on this and made important announcements around:

1. Progress in finalising the South African Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy;
2. The development of a Northern Cape Province Green Hydrogen Masterplan;
3. Progress in developing the Western Cape and Gauteng Green Hydrogen Strategies; and
4. Cabinet’s approval of the South Africa Investment Strategy, which features Green Hydrogen as one of the Big 5 Frontiers being nascent sectors with significant growth and investment potential.