South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech at the first African Green Hydrogen Summit
South Africa’s green hydrogen plans edge forward
Funding deals for two major projects lift the mood in a sector hampered by local bureaucratic delays and bearish global sentiment
Opening the inaugural African Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town in mid-June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa again lauded the “transformative” potential of the fuel for his country’s economy. Landmark agreements inked on the conference sidelines to part-fund two flagship projects injected a note of optimism into the proceedings, and several aspirant developers professed confidence in delayed FIDs being taken within 18 months. Nonetheless, progress on Pretoria’s wider strategy remains painfully slow, beset by the bearishness afflicting the sector worldwide, compounded by domestic political and bureaucratic inefficiency. South Africa offers a potentially huge domestic market and
Also in this section
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
4 February 2026
Europe’s largest electrolyser manufacturers are losing patience with policymakers as sluggish growth in the green hydrogen sector undermines their decision to expand production capacity
2 February 2026
As a fertiliser feedstock, it is indispensable, but ammonia’s potential as a carbon-free energy carrier is also making it central to global decarbonisation strategies
