The Vaal’s future is green (hydrogen)
The Emfuleni Municipality has allocated 700 ha of land for the development of the proposed Vaal Special Economic Zone, where Mitochondria Energy’s fuel cell facility is scheduled to start operations in January 2025.
A hydrogen valley innovation hub in the Vaal, with an investment of at least R4.3-billion, is scheduled to start operations in January 2025. This development has nothing to do with the Vaal River Mega City or the aerotropolis (a city or urban area centred around an airport) developments also planned for the Vaal.
The investment into green hydrogen was the biggest investment pledge announced at the fifth South African Investment Conference (SAIC) in Sandton in April.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said Hive Hydrogen’s big investment goes beyond the construction of a green hydrogen/green ammonia production facility at the Coega Special Economic Zone in the Eastern Cape in that it also embraces the construction of a seawater desalination plant capable of meeting about half of the water needs of the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area, which is water-short.
But the big announcement that is of importance to the Vaal was when Mitochondria Energy founder and CEO Mashudu Ramano pledged an investment of at least R4.3-billion in a hydrogen valley innovation hub, which is described as the culmination of a 15-year journey to create affordable, decentralised and sustainable energy services, which will enable consumers to produce and provide for their own energy needs, facilitated by fuel cell technologies and hydrogen.
Mitochondria Energy plan to locate its manufacturing hub in the Vaal region, described as the birthplace of industrialisation in South Africa, which will now also be the birthplace of sustainable and net-zero technology development.
The Emfuleni Municipality has allocated 700 ha of land for the development of the proposed Vaal Special Economic Zone, where Mitochondria Energy’s fuel cell facility is scheduled to start operations in January 2025.
“Green hydrogen presents a new opportunity for South Africa to bolster energy security, development, and job creation. It can also bolster decarbonisation afforded by renewable generation replacing various fuels and gases in industrial processes,” industry development planner Mahandra Rooplall said.
The factory will train and develop youth from the local community facilitating participation in the emerging green hydrogen economy with up to 400 people being employed at the facility.
About Mitochondria
Established in 2012, Mitochondria Energy is a developer of hydrogen-based solutions and technologies that are distributed, decentralized, sustainable, and affordable. Mitochondria Energy’s vision is to alleviate Energy Poverty on the African continent by providing solutions that lead to an energy-secure and resilient Africa by 2050.
Mitochondria believes Hydrogen will change how we live and interact with the world around us. It is their vision to bring this change about through various initiatives in the Hydrogen Valley Innovation Hub.
Source: https://www.mitochondria.co.za/
