In this special episode of The Hydrogen Podcast, we go beyond the headlines with a deep-dive case study on South Africa’s energy crisis—and hydrogen’s role in building resilience.
⚡ Key Topics Covered
- Grid Reliability in Crisis: Eskom’s reliance on aging coal plants, Stage 6 load shedding, and the economic fallout of outages.
- Hydrogen as a Solution: Long-duration storage, grid backup, and industrial resilience powered by South Africa’s world-class solar & wind resources.
- Regional Strategies:
- Northern Cape: Multi-gigawatt projects like Boegoebaai targeting global hydrogen exports.
- Cape Town, Saldanha, Mossel Bay: Industrial ports ideal for hydrogen hubs.
- Johannesburg & Gauteng: Emerging hydrogen “valleys” linking transport, power, and heavy industry.
- Durban & Richards Bay: Maritime and industrial integration.
- Economic Impact: 30,000+ potential skilled jobs per year, billions in GDP, and domestic supply chains fueled by platinum group metals.
- Hydrogen Society Roadmap: Targets of 10 GW electrolyzers, 500,000 tonnes of annual green hydrogen, and hundreds of buses/trucks by 2030.
- Challenges: Infrastructure upgrades, financing gaps, water requirements, and balancing renewables with hydrogen deployment.
🌍 The Big Picture
Hydrogen isn’t a silver bullet—but it could help South Africa transition from coal dependency toward a resilient, export-ready, renewable economy. The lesson is clear: execution and economics, not just vision, will determine success.
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