JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Inexperienced hydrogen, which is produced with the assistance of platinum group metals (PGMs), might grow to be the catalyst for brand spanking new inexperienced iron, inexperienced metal, inexperienced chemical substances and beneficiation industries constructed on South Africa’s mineral and renewable-energy benefits.
“The actual prize is just not hydrogen — it’s industrialisation. The chance is important if South Africa can align infrastructure, funding and expertise improvement,” Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy president Gary Lane identified on LinkedIn in response to Mining Weekly’s report on June 5 about South Africa’s inexperienced hydrogen and power-to-x (PtX) mission improvement commonplace (PDS).
Commerce, Business and Competitors Minister Parks Tau and Electrical energy and Vitality Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré formally launched the PtX PDS on Could 19 through the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam.
The initiative, which supplies important first-mover assist, is described as marking an necessary step in the direction of strengthening South Africa’s pipeline of credible, investment-ready inexperienced hydrogen and PtX initiatives by Simply Vitality Transition Implementation Plan Programme Administration Workplace stakeholder specialist Collins Nyamadzawo.
The usual introduces a structured and clear course of by way of which mission builders can exhibit technical, industrial, monetary, and operational readiness by way of the standardised questionnaire and evaluation platform aligned with investor and improvement finance establishment expectations.
PGMs, with which Southern Africa could be very properly endowed, are key in electrolysers that flip water into inexperienced hydrogen after which additionally key in turning hydrogen again into inexperienced electrical energy for inexperienced metal, inexperienced cement, inexperienced chemical substances, knowledge centres, AI, off-grid communities, and plenty of different merchandise in addition to mobility.
In Namibia, Hyphen Hydrogen Vitality, which has introduced a strategic partnership with GIZ Namibia, is inviting certified companies or consortia to submit proposals for the event of an enterprise and provider improvement programme tailor-made particularly for Namibia’s rising inexperienced hydrogen trade.
Hyphen is dedicated to making sure that Namibia’s inexperienced power future is constructed and advantages Namibian enterprises.
Kenya has reportedly authorised 15 initiatives focusing on a mixed 5 GW of captive renewable-energy technology, marking the East African nation’s transfer to enter the worldwide hydrogen economic system.
The initiatives are designed to leverage Kenya’s power combine, which already derives over 90% of its energy from renewable sources corresponding to geothermal, wind, and photo voltaic to develop solely new industrial worth chains. Particularly, these initiatives will concentrate on the native manufacturing of inexperienced ammonia and zero-emission fertilisers, sustainable aviation gasoline, methanol, and hydrogen-based inexperienced metal.
By prioritising these sectors, Kenya goals to spark export-led industrialisation and set up itself as a major provider throughout the rising international clean-energy provide chain, shifting from a place of strategic management relatively than from the margins.
Because the world appears to be like past batteries alone, PGMs are as soon as once more changing into a strategic dialog, it was said in a launch on June 8 to publicise Zimbabwe’s upcoming Zimbabwe Mining Week, the particular focus of which would be the way forward for PGMs in a hydrogen economic system amid the following chapter of the power transition starting with platinum.
To assist the automotive sector’s power transition, Toyota South Africa has introduced that it’s going to make investments R10.4-billion in KwaZulu-Natal to strengthen native manufacturing for a extra sustainable future. Toyota North America, in the meantime, plans to deploy hydrogen gasoline cell-powered Class 8 vehicles in its industrial logistics fleets by early 2027. The automotive firm has additionally signed an settlement with Air Liquide for the provision of hydrogen gasoline for the corporate’s rising fleet. The brand-new Toyota TR LH2 racing prototype is to take to the monitor powered by liquid hydrogen.
The World Platinum Funding Council has reported that an built-in, cellular hydrogen refuelling system designed to deliver quick, dependable hydrogen infrastructure on to website has been launched. HyKit’s cellular hydrogen refueller has a refuelling turnaround time of round ten to fifteen minutes and a complete hydrogen capability of 75 kg, supporting as much as seven autos at a time.
Underneath a strategic alliance signed finally month’s World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam, Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Ecolog will collaborate to allow the transportation of liquid hydrogen from Al Duqm in Oman to the Port of Amsterdam and onwards into Germany and wider Europe.
Underneath the European Hydrogen Financial institution’s ‘Auctions-as-a-Service’ for inexperienced hydrogen initiatives in Denmark, International Hydrogen Assessment introduced on June 1 that Everfuel has acquired notification for manufacturing assist of €0.98/kg hydrogen similar to €244.9-million. The assist is for 200 MW electrolyser capability within the first part of Everfuel’s Challenge Frigg.
It is usually reported that China’s 49-ton Dongfeng hydrogen truck, which has a 400 kW gasoline cell platform, refuels in quarter-hour to runs of 1 060 miles.
China is the clear international chief when it comes to inexperienced hydrogen, with a couple of million tonnes a 12 months of manufacturing capability put in or underneath building — roughly double the quantity throughout the entire of Europe.
The nationwide authorities goals to broaden the nation’s inexperienced hydrogen trade considerably between now and the tip of 2030, in line with its fifteenth 5-12 months Plan, with all 31 mainland provinces having now revealed particular person hydrogen methods in their very own 2026 to 2030 five-year plans.
Within the Netherlands, the primary proton change membrane (PEM) electrolyser arrays for the Air Liquide ELYgator mission on the Port of Rotterdam have landed on website and at the moment are positioned on their foundations. At 200 MW, this set up is designed to provide 23 000 t of renewable hydrogen yearly, industrial volumes able to avoiding as much as 300 000 t of CO₂ a 12 months. PEM electrolysers are catalysed by PGMs.
Air Liquide will make investments greater than €500-million to construct, personal and function the electrolyser, supplying notably TotalEnergies’ industrial platform by way of a long-term contract. The mission goals to be operational by the tip of 2027.
In Scotland, the Hychor startup, which shall be producing inexperienced hydrogen from seawater, has accomplished an fairness funding spherical and opened a brand new analysis and improvement facility, because it advances towards industrial pilot initiatives deliberate for 2027.
In the meantime, on the PGMs entrance, the enlargement of AI infrastructure is driving demand for platinum in instruments to provide electrical-grade fibreglass for printed circuit boards.
A function of platinum is that it’s exceptionally proof against warmth and put on. In fibreglass manufacturing, platinum-rhodium bushings are used to attract molten glass into nice fibres at extraordinarily excessive temperatures. Fibreglass produced this fashion is used to provide electrical-grade glass (E-glass) yarn which will be woven to create various kinds of E-glass cloth.
Identified for its excessive energy and wonderful electrical insulation, E-glass cloth is a crucial part in a printed circuit board (PCB). AI servers and knowledge centre gear can’t operate with out PCBs and, as AI workload will increase, PCB designs are evolving to assist larger speeds and frequencies, particularly by way of the combination of low-Dk or low loss supplies.
Platinum glass demand is forecast to extend by 83% year-on-year to 377 000 oz in 2026. Development shall be pushed by renewed enlargement in fibreglass functions, supported by the return of capability additions and stronger demand from larger worth end-uses, together with these linked to AI.
