Speaking with Energy Capital & Power during Critical Minerals Africa 2024, Mohabir stated that the study, running from February and December 2024, will evaluate trends, opportunities and challenges within South Africa’s PGMs and green hydrogen value chain. The study, titled The Impact Analyses Study on Mining of Critical Raw Materials for Green Hydrogen Economy in South Africa, is part of GIZ’s South African Green Hydrogen Program.

“The critical minerals topic is still new, hence we decided to take a holistic step back to understand South Africa’s potential and where we stand at the moment,” said Mohabir. “We are looking at PGMs’ benefits for electrolyzers and fuel cells and the environment, as well as the social and economic impact of critical minerals.”

GIZ is conducting a mapping exercise to identify the locations of South Africa’s PGMs and determine where energy, water and downstream infrastructure are needed to support their value chain. 

“We are also looking at the resilience of the supply chain of PGMs and the possibilities of them not being used, considering the energy transition sector is placing greater focus on developing various cost-effective technologies for green hydrogen production,” she added.  

The study launch aligns with the growing collaboration between Germany and South Africa in the green hydrogen space, building on the 2023 launch of the Hydrogen Taskforce under the South African-German Energy Partnership.