JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Following go-ahead for the required renewable energy generation, South Africa’s R105-billion Coega Green Ammonia project in Nelson Mandela Bay has now advanced to front-end engineering design (FEED) stage, so that construction can potentially begin in early 2027 and commissioning in December 2029.

Environmental impact assessment work on all of Hive Hydrogen's 3 300 MW of renewable energy assets is now concluded, following the securing of environmental authorisation for the 1 000 MW Carissa wind energy facility, near Beaufort West, in South Africa’s Western Cape province.

"We’re delighted,” is the comment of Hive Hydrogen South Africa chairperson Thulani Gcabashe, a former Eskom CEO, whose Built Africa Group focuses on developing renewable energy projects in South Africa under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme.

With 154 wind turbines, Carissa will clean energise seawater into hydrogen, the key ingredient of the green ammonia that is earmarked for export to Asia and Europe.

The Eastern Cape project is now on track to begin FEED in November and conclude final investment decisions by July 2026.

Requests for proposals were invited in July for a plant with a production capacity of one-million-tons plus of green ammonia a year; provision for seawater abstraction, desalination and demineralisation; storage facilities that have two 7 km pipelines for 70 000 t of green ammonia piping; a 1 430 MW solar photovoltaic cluster of nine solar farms; and 1 879 MW of wind power in two clusters of five wind farms.

FEED completion, ammonia plant construction, and renewable energy generation infrastructure are focal points of the proposals requested.

Hive Hydrogen backed by Hive Energy and Built Africa has been working since September 2019 on establishing a large-scale green ammonia plant in South Africa powered by renewable energy to produce one million tonnes a year.

The permitting of the Carissa wind energy facility is the work of a partnership made up of Hive Hydrogen, the Coega Green Ammonia project sponsor, which is the committed offtaker, project developer AMDA Developments, and Blue Crane Environmental, the independent environmental assessment practitioner responsible for leading the environmental impact assessment process.

Coega is one of Hive’s three green hydrogen schemes, the other two being Albamed in Spain and Gente Grande in Chile.

Meanwhile, on the global front, Hydrogen Council’s McKinsey-authored global hydrogen compass reports that the hydrogen industry worldwide has committed investments totalling $110-billion for 500-plus projects that are past final investment decision, in construction or already operational.

Total committed capacity now exceeds six-million tonnes a year, including an annual one million tonnes already in operation, with China leading the world in total committed investments of $33-billion and 50% of global renewable capacity.

“We’re seeing tangible proof of progress,” McKinsey quotes Hyundai Motor Group and Hydrogen Council co-chairperson Jaehoon Chang as saying.

In the US, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association member Air Products last month announced that it had successfully completed the first fill of the world’s largest hydrogen sphere at the Kennedy Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in Florida. Air Products reportedly delivered more than 730 000 gallons of liquid hydrogen, more than 50 trailer loads, to fill the 90-foot sphere. The hydrogen will be combined with liquid oxygen to fuel NASA’s Artemis missions.

The eleventh Hydrogen Day is scheduled to be hosted by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association on October 8 – 10/08 in recognition of hydrogen’s 1.008 atomic weight. Taking part will be former US Department of Energy hydrogen leader Sunita Satyapal.

A new green hydrogen facility in Niagara Falls, which is scheduled to begin producing this year, has received a 35 MW platinum-based Cummins proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser from Accelera, which will double Linde’s US green liquid hydrogen capacity.  Green hydrogen and PEM go hand-in-glove in fuel cell and electrolyser developments with the platinum group metals (PGMs) that are overwhelmingly hosted in South Africa.

Air Products South Africa MD Charles Dos Santos, in a Creamer Media video interview linked to participation at the Global African Hydrogen Summit in Namibia, has outlined the company’s capabilities and vision for advancing the Southern African hydrogen economy by unpacking Air Products’ position in the hydrogen value chain and the factors driving success in this emerging market, while also exploring how the Southern African region can create and stimulate a green hydrogen offtake market and build sustainable demand to support the energy transition.

South Africa’s green hydrogen component company Isondo Precious Metals has hosted Germany’s Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, along with a high-level German delegation, at its facility in the OR Tambo Special Economic Zone.

Isondo is involved with electrolyser and fuel cell component manufacturing to position South Africa as a supplier to Germany, the European Union and beyond.

Meanwhile, an agreement by a German steel company to buy thousands of tonnes of green hydrogen a year from France was this month outlined by the publication Hydrogeninsight. This involves Germany’s Stahl-Holding-Saar signing an offtake transaction to source at least 6 000 t of green hydrogen a year from Verso Energy’s CarlHYng project in France. The green hydrogen will be piped across the border to supply Stahl-Holding-Saar’s planned direct reduction iron (DRI) plant at the Dillingen steelworks.

Also in Germany, the third generation of the BMW Group’s hydrogen drive system are to be manufactured in Steyr, with the company’s competence centres in Munich and Steyr are already building the first prototypes. Further drive system components will come from the technology hub in Landshut.

“The launch of the first-ever fuel cell production model from BMW in 2028 will add another exceptionally efficient high-performance drive system with zero emissions to our technology-open product portfolio,” according to BMW’s Joachim Post.

BMW and Toyota jointly develop the powertrain system for passenger vehicles, with the core fuel cell technology creating synergies for both commercial and passenger vehicle applications. This close collaboration enables both companies to leverage synergies in development and procurement while creating brand-specific models, according to JustAuto.

Meanwhile, German electronic chip company Infineon Technologies has transformed its semiconductor manufacturing site in Villach, Austria, to run entirely on green hydrogen, following the commissioning of a 2 MW on-site electrolysis plant by industrial gases and engineering group Linde. The PEM electrolysis plant, designed and built by Linde, can produce 290 t of clean hydrogen a year, meeting the Villach factory’s total demand.

INDIA’S GREEN STEEL

India’s stainless steel producer Jindal has placed an order on Greenzo Energy India to supply and commission a green hydrogen electrolyser plant at its Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex in Jajpur, Odisha. Jindal will use the green hydrogen in its bright annealing line and bell furnace processes to transition toward green steel production and reduce carbon emissions.

India is also preparing to launch its first hydrogen-powered train, with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirming that the Hydrogen-Namo train would begin operations by December 2025. Developed India-developed train will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

This milestone for Indian Railways reflects the policy alignment coming from Ministry of Railways and the country’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

AUSTRALIA’S GREEN IRON

Discovery Alert reported last month that Western Australia is moving closer to establishing itself as a green iron hub through the development of green iron production in the Pilbara region. Also known as green hot briquetted iron, green iron production uses green hydrogen, which reacts with iron-ore to remove oxygen ahead of direct use in electric arc furnaces for steelmaking. Green iron attracts a price premium in international markets for reasons of carbon emission compliance, less downstream processing and fewer impurities.

BRAZIL’S PROJECTS 

The publication Renewables Now this month reported that Brazilian green hydrogen and ammonia developer H2Brazil is advancing two flagship projects. In Minas Gerais, the company is finalising detailed engineering and permitting for the first phase of a planned 800 MW complex, having already secured a land lease, environmental licence, and an offtake agreement with utility CEMIG. At the same time, H2Brazil is progressing with a 30 MW green hydrogen and e-fuels site in Rio de Janeiro, with potential for further expansion.

H2X Minas reportedly has a binding agreement signed with the government of Minas Gerais for State tax incentives and with Invest Minas for offtake, with the Mining and Energy Ministry declaring full support for the project. In addition, the Agriculture Ministry has afforded the initiative as strategic project status amid Brazil’s ambition of becoming self-sufficient in fertiliser production.

MONGOLIA’S WIND HYDROGEN

Mining Weekly can also report that China’s Goldwind Science & Technology is reportedly investing $2.7-billion in a wind-powered hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol project in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, with 3 GW of planned capacity, funded through internal capital and bank loans, pending government approval. The project is described as being part of a quiet revolution unfolding in China, where green ammonia and methanol plants are emerging at commercial scale.

DUBAI’S GREEN HYDROGEN

In Dubai, the World Platinum Investment Council has noted on LinkedIn that the green hydrogen project of the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority has produced more than 100 t of green hydrogen since its launch in May 2021.

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer described the project as enhancing efforts to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050. It also supports the Dubai green mobility strategy that aims to stimulate the use of sustainable transport in line with the emirate's strategic objectives to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This green hydrogen project in the Middle East and North Africa produces green hydrogen using solar energy.

Implemented in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens Energy, the project produces about 20 kg of hydrogen an hour, with a gas tank that can store up to 12 hours of hydrogen production. The stored hydrogen can be used for power generation at night.

CALIFORNIA’S ADVANCE

Fuel cell and hydrogen technology company Advent Technologies of California has reported a technology breakthrough with aircraft company Airbus, aimed at advancing the next generation of membrane electrode assembly for high-temperature PEM fuel cell technology. “Our membrane technology is unsurpassed and offers a versatile clean energy solution across multiple industries including aviation, marine, automotive, and defence,” Advent CEO Gary Herman is quoted as saying in a green technology article in Fuel Cell Works.

Also in California, Hydrogen Fuel News reports that companies including Shell, Chevron, Air Liquide, Linde, Toyota, and Hyundai are lobbying a hydrogen tax exemption to uplift investment in hydrogen vehicle refuelling stations.

In addition, Pasadena Council has approved a $32-million contract with New Flyer to purchase 17 hydrogen fuel cell buses to replace aging natural gas vehicles by spring 2027.

SOUTH KOREA’S EXHIBIT

Hyundai last month presented hydrogen vision and exhibit the new Nexo fuel cell electric vehicle at the 13th World Congress of the Econometric Society event in Seoul, where it emphasised hydrogen’s pivotal role in the sustainable energy transition. The new Nexo offers a driving range of 700 km and a total system output of 190 kW. Hyundai also presenting its hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles, including the Xcient fuel cell truck and the Elec City and Universe fuel cell buses.

SAUDI ARABIA’S RACING

The world’s first pure hydrogen-powered off-road racing series Extreme H in Saudi Arabia is reflective of the Middle Eastern country investing heavily renewable energy and green hydrogen, Hydrogen Fuel News reported this month.

“When the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) waved the green flag on Extreme H, it marked their first pure hydrogen series,” the publication stated.

“If Extreme H proves hydrogen’s reliability under the harshest conditions, economies of scale could kick in,” it added.

SINGAPORE’S SOLID FORM

Green hydrogen in solid form is to be exported to Singapore, marking the first green hydrogen molecules produced in Sarawak to be shipped abroad, the Borneo Post has reported.

The molecules are produced through a water electrolysis process using a PEM electrolyser, which relies on water and electricity supply from the grid.

The Darul Hana facility is designed to produce 150 kg of green hydrogen daily, with the PEM method selected as the most suitable technology for Sarawak’s current demand.

According to the report, there a ten hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in Sarawak, made up of five Toyota Mirai used by the Premier and Deputy Premiers, three hydrogen buses operated by Sarawak Metro, and two Hyundai Nexo managed by Sarawak Energy.