DMEA: South Africa, Germany sign green hydrogen deal

South Africa and Germany signed a deal on Tuesday, 27 June to co-operate on green hydrogen projects, with Germany’s part in the deal consisting of helping facilitate imports, develop markets and link producers with technology partners, according to an executive in the investment and infrastructure office of South Africa's presidency Masopha Moshoeshoe. He added that the deal would "assist in creating business to business opportunities between our developers as well as off-takers in Germany."

The partnership between the two nations comes as part of a move by Europe to tap into Africa’s renewable resources in order to meet net-zero targets for 2050. European countries have increasingly looked towards Africa for fuel supplies, and countries such as Namibia, Morocco and Egypt have all seen significant investments in green hydrogen projects from the continent. The Netherlands and Denmark recently started a $1bn green hydrogen fund in South Africa, as well as launching a similar initiative in Namibia in 2022. The fuel in question – green hydrogen – can be used in industries such as transport, steel and petrochemicals. It is manufactured by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy.