In this special episode of The Hydrogen Podcast, we go beyond the headlines with a deep-dive case study on South Africa’s energy crisis—and hydrogen’s role in building resilience.

⚡ Key Topics Covered

• Grid Reliability in Crisis: Eskom’s reliance on aging coal plants, Stage 6 load shedding, and the economic fallout of outages.
• Hydrogen as a Solution: Long-duration storage, grid backup, and industrial resilience powered by South Africa’s world-class solar & wind resources.
• Regional Strategies:
  • Northern Cape: Multi-gigawatt projects like Boegoebaai targeting global hydrogen exports.
  • Cape Town, Saldanha, Mossel Bay: Industrial ports ideal for hydrogen hubs.
  • Johannesburg & Gauteng: Emerging hydrogen “valleys” linking transport, power, and heavy industry.
  • Durban & Richards Bay: Maritime and industrial integration.
• Economic Impact: 30,000+ potential skilled jobs per year, billions in GDP, and domestic supply chains fueled by platinum group metals.
• Hydrogen Society Roadmap: Targets of 10 GW electrolyzers, 500,000 tonnes of annual green hydrogen, and hundreds of buses/trucks by 2030.
• Challenges: Infrastructure upgrades, financing gaps, water requirements, and balancing renewables with hydrogen deployment.

🌍 The Big Picture
Hydrogen isn’t a silver bullet—but it could help South Africa transition from coal dependency toward a resilient, export-ready, renewable economy. The lesson is clear: execution and economics, not just vision, will determine success.

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