Green hydrogen atlas
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) in South Africa has collaborated with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and GFA Consulting Group to launch two crucial environmental planning tools in Pretoria. These tools are designed to facilitate the responsible planning and sustainable growth of South Africa's green hydrogen sector.
The first tool is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guideline for green hydrogen projects. This instructional manual offers practical guidance for assessment practitioners, project developers, decision-makers, and stakeholders involved in the planning and environmental authorization processes for complex green hydrogen systems. It provides an overview of green hydrogen development, associated policy and regulatory contexts, guidance on best practice EIA, and useful tools for planning projects and assessing impacts.
The second tool is the South African Green Hydrogen Potential Atlas, an interactive geospatial tool that maps the country's most suitable regions for green hydrogen development. This atlas is based on a multi-criteria analysis that considers spatially explicit key siting variables representing environmental conditions and sensitivities, different uses and users of the environment, and the requirements for green hydrogen production. It showcases the potential for green hydrogen production aimed at export and domestic markets and highlights areas where enabling shared infrastructure could be leveraged to create a South African green hydrogen economy.
The development of these tools was funded by the H2.SA Programme, a GIZ initiative supporting South Africa's transition to a green hydrogen economy. CSIR experts in environmental impact assessment played a pivotal role in creating these tools, which aim to ensure the sustainable development of the green hydrogen sector.
Green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy, has the potential to replace fossil fuels in hard-to-abate industries such as cement and steel, as well as in mobility sectors including aviation, bulk road and rail transport, and marine shipping. These tools are intended to assist industry, government, NGOs, and other stakeholders in integrating the environmental and social planning of green hydrogen projects into existing legislation and decision-making.
The atlas and EIA guideline are available online and can be accessed by interested parties. South Africa's abundant wind and solar energy resources, expansive land, port infrastructure, central geographical location, and platinum group metal reserves could give it a competitive advantage in producing green hydrogen and other Power-to-X derivatives, contributing to decarbonizing local and global economies.
