Japan to give South Africa’s hydrogen economy goals a boost
October 2, 2023The countries have entered a new agreement.
Japan and South Africa have inked a deal designed to support the reduction of carbon emission of South Africa’s domestic economy and the growth of its hydrogen economy, including potential green hydrogen and ammonia projects and a technology transfer from Japan.
The goal is to help South Africa decarbonize key industries.
The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) that was signed by the two nations will make it possible for Japan to transfer technologies to South Africa to help it with its hydrogen economy and to decarbonize some of its key industries that are hard to abate or that struggle to lower emissions, such as the steel, cement and aviation industries.
According to South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr. Blade Nzimande, the agreement allows for partnerships to enable training and development in critical and technical skills that are required for the country’s evolving hydrogen economy.
Additionally, Nzimande said the agreement will develop necessary standards for hydrogen regulatory frameworks, hydrogen production and hydrogen transportation. He also said that Japan and South Africa plan to work together to commercialize locally developed intellectual property, which will lead to licensing opportunities for both countries.
Nzimande promoted the hydrogen economy cooperation in Japan.
The MoC was recently signed at Tokyo GX Week in Japan. The GX stands for “Green Transformation”, and Tokyo GX Week is an initiative of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Nzimande attended the event to promote collaboration in the development of hydrogen as an energy source in South Africa and also addressed the sixth Hydrogen Energy Ministerial meeting.
The South African Department of Science and Innovations launched the Hydrogen Society Roadmap last year (2022). The purpose of the roadmap is to coordinate and facilitate the integration of hydrogen-linked technologies across a range of the nation’s economic sectors, with one of the primary goals being to create a hydrogen production and components manufacturing industry in the country. The main objective is to adopt hydrogen “at scale” as an energy source in South Africa.
South Africa and Japan have been working together for decades.
Japan offering support to help grow South Africa’s budding hydrogen economy is not the first time these two nations have teamed up.
Since the signing of a Science and Technology Agreement in 2003, South Africa and Japan have worked together in the fields of science and technology. They have also collaborated on a green ammonia project.
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