South Africa is making a calculated move to position Saldanha Bay on the West Coast as a key hydrogen hub. Central to this effort is the development of the West Coast Green Hydrogen Master Plan, now formally underway with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) appointed to coordinate its first phase.
The initiative—spearheaded by Freeport Saldanha and aligned with the Western Cape Government’s Green Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap approved in May 2024—aims to assess the infrastructure, policy, and environmental conditions required to support scaled hydrogen production and export.
With an electrolyser-powered economy dependent on abundant renewables and water, Saldanha’s unique coastal geography offers a strategic advantage. The area boasts world-class wind and solar resources, deep-sea port infrastructure, and access to international maritime trade routes. These are essential characteristics for enabling exports of green hydrogen and its derivatives—such as ammonia or e-methanol—as maritime fuels or industrial feedstocks.
But production at scale in this arid region will require desalination to secure a stable water supply for electrolysis, as confirmed by CSIR research group leader Paul Lochner. “In the Saldanha context, the water would probably need to be sourced from desalination of seawater,” he said. This infrastructure requirement is not merely technical—it introduces cost, energy intensity, and regulatory complexity that must be addressed early in the planning process.
The Master Plan represents more than just a technical exercise. It is also a governance blueprint. According to Lochner, the process involves input from all three spheres of government, public utilities like Transnet National Ports Authority, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.
Importantly, while initiated by the Western Cape, the planning includes the Northern and Eastern Cape provinces to ensure alignment of green hydrogen initiatives across South Africa’s coastal energy corridors. This integration is critical, as project timelines and investment cycles increasingly depend on shared permitting processes, grid access strategies, and harmonised regulatory frameworks.
Phase 1 of the plan focuses on identifying common-user infrastructure needs, suitable land parcels, energy and environmental regulatory barriers, and areas requiring strategic environmental assessments. These foundational analyses are prerequisites for investor confidence and long-term economic viability.
Unlocking Hard-to-Abate Sectors
Green hydrogen’s value proposition lies in its ability to decarbonise sectors poorly suited to direct electrification. This includes heavy industries like steel, cement, and fertiliser production, as well as long-haul logistics and maritime shipping. These hard-to-abate sectors account for roughly 30% of global CO₂ emissions, yet they remain underserved by conventional renewable energy solutions.
Saldanha’s proximity to South Africa’s industrial heartlands, coupled with its port access, makes it a viable launch point for green fuel exports and regional hydrogen-based industrial applications. The port itself is well-placed for bunkering operations and midstream hydrogen processing—areas that remain underdeveloped globally but are critical to supply chain integration.
The Western Cape government has framed the Saldanha Hydrogen Hub not just as an energy project but as a development lever—one that could address structural unemployment, enable energy security, and catalyse clean-tech innovation. If fully realised, the initiative could serve as a template for future hydrogen corridors along Africa’s coastline.
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