A group of representatives from Sasol, Infrastructure South Africa and the Northern Cape Provincial Government joined with Minister Mondli Gungubele for a site visit to the Boegebaai green hydrogen project. The Presidency has said the meeting and site visit will serve as an important interaction between the government and Sasol. And will allow for the implementation of the Memorandum of Agreements as agreed upon and signed in 2021.
Agreements Signed
The Presidency states that due to the “multi-sectoral implications of green hydrogen”, they will need to coordinate across government with regards to any green hydrogen development. The presence of Minister Mondli Gungubele at this green hydrogen project meeting reinforces this.
Firstly, one of the Memorandum of Agreements was between Sasol and the Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG). In which they agreed for Sasol to be the anchor developer of the planned Boegoebaai Green hydrogen Special Economic Zone. Secondly, Sasol and the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) also signed an agreement. This second Memorandum of Agreement permits Sasol to develop green hydrogen production facilities in Gauteng. And as well as these two memorandums, a Heads of Agreement was also signed between the Northern Cape Provincial Government and the Port of Rotterdam. Allowing the Port of Rotterdam to act as a demand aggregator for green hydrogen into Europe.
The Demand for Green Hydrogen
The use of green hydrogen (H2) and products containing it, such as ammonia, has grown on a global scale. Leading to its recent recognition as a “Big Frontier” at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) held in October 2021. And this growth in demand for green hydrogen suggests a rise in investment opportunities. As a result, we can also predict much future growth for South Africa.