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South Africa's world-leading platinum group metals (PGM) endowment received a major when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred specifically to clean energy and green hydrogen forming the main part of this week's R94-billion (€4.7-billion) new investments package at the European Union-South Africa Summit in Cape Town.

Amid annual trade between South Africa and the European Union being close to the €50-billion with 98% of South African exports to the European Union being duty- and quota-free, Von der Leyen spoke of beneficiation of South Africa's metal and mineral beneficiation that would be required would in the creation of quality South African jobs.

The Clean Trade and Investment Partnership would, she said, support South Africa's need to add more value to local production in South Africa, for instance in the clean hydrogen value chain.

"You have clean energy in abundance, from wind to sun. You have raw materials that are critical for electrolysers, including 91% of the world's platinum group metal reserves, and you have a rising industry to produce clean hydrogen and strong export ambitions."

Von der Leyen added that European companies interested in investing in South Africa needed the incentives that the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership would provide to stimulate investments in clean energy, raw materials and green hydrogen.

Von der Leyen's comments have been made against the background South Africa's PGMs having the catalytic qualities to first produce green hydrogen and then turn it into unbleamished electricity with the only byproduct being water.

Crucially, an interlinking note from the World Platinum Investment Council highlights the widespread examples of PGM usage across the hydrogen value chain along with associated applications fully endorses the far-reaching observations by Von der Leyen, who was accompanied by European Council President António Costa at the European Union-South Africa Summit and hosted by South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town.

During the summit, the European Union and South Africa agreed to start talks as part of a clean trade and investment partnership, with South Africa being the world's first country to sign such a partnership that focuses on the clean energy transition, skills, technology, as well as on developing strategic industries along the entire supply chain - thus creating good jobs in South Africa and Africa.

Mining Weekly can report that the bulk of the €4.7-billion global gateway investment package - €4.4-billion, in fact - will be invested in projects supporting South Africa's crucial Just Energy Transition and represents a significant pledge in the context of the Scaling up Renewables in Africa campaign, launched by Von der Leyen and Ramaphosa on the margins of the G20 Summit in Rio.

Partnering with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen and being backed by the International Energy Agency will culminate with a major pledging event at the upcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November.

The Global Gateway package also focuses on connectivity infrastructure - both physical and digital- and on uplifting the local pharmaceutical industry. The Global Gateway Initiative is a strategy by the European Union to invest in infrastructure projects worldwide.

HYDROGEN VALUE CHAIN AND PLATINUM GROUP METALS

Owing to its versatility as a fuel, chemical feedstock and energy carrier, the World Platinum Investment Council points out that hydrogen - the planet's most abundant element - is essential for the energy transition, especially when produced as green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

This is because PGMs are critical for enabling the use of green hydrogen to achieve decarbonisation goals.

PGMs are used across...