• South Africa inaugurated a 100 million rand ($5.3 million) green hydrogen pilot facility at the University of the Witwatersrand.
• Authorities equipped the site with a 110-kilowatt electrolyser and 200-kilogram hydrogen storage capacity.
• The national roadmap targets up to 500,000 tonnes of green hydrogen production per year by 2030.

South Africa has taken a new step in developing its green hydrogen economy with the inauguration of a pilot facility at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, according to an official statement published on February 27.

Vice President Paul Mashatile attended the official launch ceremony.

The project, named Wits–South Africa Hydrogen Localisation Initiative (Wits-SAHLI), represents an investment of 100 million rand, equivalent to about $5.3 million. Air Liquide and the Localisation Support Fund, a South African mechanism dedicated to developing domestic industrial capacity, are supporting the initiative.

The pilot site, which the university describes as one of the country’s first infrastructures dedicated to green hydrogen, includes a 110-kilowatt electrolyser. The installation produces hydrogen from water and electricity. The facility also includes a storage system capable of holding up to 200 kilograms of hydrogen.

In addition to production, the system allows operators to reconvert hydrogen into electricity. The university said the facility can generate up to 200 kilowatts of power. The installation will supply certain infrastructure and support technical testing under real operating conditions.

In remarks relayed by the university, Vice President Mashatile said the initiative aligns with the national strategy to develop a hydrogen economy. He said the project will strengthen local capabilities and support the energy transition.

The university said the platform will test industrial hydrogen applications in a real-world environment. The institution also said the facility will train students, technicians and professionals in hydrogen-related technologies.

“Our objective is to ensure that, as the hydrogen economy develops, South Africa builds a locally trained workforce and a competitive network of domestic suppliers,” said Nkululeko Magadla, Chief Executive Officer of Air Liquide Southern Africa.

A Target of 500,000 Tonnes Per Year by 2030

The Wits pilot project forms part of a national strategy formalized by the South African government. In 2021, the Department of Science and Innovation published the South African Hydrogen Society Roadmap Version 1, which sets quantified targets for the sector.

The roadmap sets a production capacity target of up to 500,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2030. Policymakers said this scale-up will support domestic industrial demand and prepare export opportunities.

The document also projects the potential creation of 20,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030 across the value chain, including production, storage, equipment manufacturing and industrial applications.

When authorities officially launched the strategy in 2022, the Department of Science and Innovation said in an accompanying document that the roadmap aims to mobilize several billion rand in investment over the decade. Officials said pilot projects will provide the foundation for gradual industrial deployment.

Meanwhile, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy integrated green hydrogen into the User-Friendly IRP 2025 energy plan. The plan highlights hydrogen’s potential role in electricity storage and in decarbonizing carbon-intensive industrial sectors.

This article was initially published in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum