South Africa’s green hydrogen plans edge forward

Funding deals for two major projects lift the mood in a sector hampered by local bureaucratic delays and bearish global sentiment

Opening the inaugural African Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town in mid-June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa again lauded the “transformative” potential of the fuel for his country’s economy. Landmark agreements inked on the conference sidelines to part-fund two flagship projects injected a note of optimism into the proceedings, and several aspirant developers professed confidence in delayed FIDs being taken within 18 months. Nonetheless, progress on Pretoria’s wider strategy remains painfully slow, beset by the bearishness afflicting the sector worldwide, compounded by domestic political and bureaucratic inefficiency. South Africa offers a potentially huge domestic market and