Resource-rich Africa can produce more energy than it requires, minister says
Ramokgopa addresses Africa Energy Week on green hydrogen potential
Africa can produce more energy than it requires within the next 30 years if it takes advantage of its natural resources.
This is according to electricity minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who delivered a keynote address on green hydrogen at the Africa Energy Week held in Cape Town.
“We need to have a Pan African view in the exploitation of this energy carrier and our view is that by 2040, Africa can produce up to 50 times more energy from renewables than the world ’ s estimated demand.
“This is as a result of our location advantages. “We have some of the radiation levels of any parts of the world and we also have some of the best wind speeds along the coastal areas,” he said.
He emphasised, however, that Africa must provide its own “interpretation” on what a just energy transition constituted.
“We have got an opportunity to define a just energy transition with African characteristics, and in this instance it is about universal access, the exploitation of critical minerals that are key to development of green hydrogen and realising its potential.
“We can see that by smelting African iron ore locally, we are likely going to create much needed jobs and therefore the skills required to support that transition.
“In that way, in addition to broadening the industrial base, we are really getting people in good quality jobs this is in addition to the decarbonisation agenda,” he said.
Ramokgopa moved to allay fears that green hydrogen production would have a heavy toll on SA’s water resources.
“It is important that in the conversation around the potential of green hydrogen, we confront what essentially is an objective inherent risk associated with the exploitation of this resource and the strain it puts on water resources.
“There’s a rich body of literature that suggests coastal countries can use sea water to produce green’hydrogen, that it s likely going therefore to place eliminating on limited the water strain resources,” he said.
The minister said Sub-Saharan Africa’s resources had the capacity to “produce anything between 5,000 and 13,000 million tonnes per year” of green hydrogen. “We think that could come at about $2/kg [R37,50] …essentially by 2050, making green hydrogen financially competitive compared to other energy sources.
“It could also contribute significantly to the national revenue funds of many African countries of up to $20bn [R375bn] and that could be distributed to ensure we are able to expand on social infrastructure and improve the quality of life of our people ...”