South Africa urged to make green hydrogen investment decision in next year
Management consulting company McKinsey managing partner of South Africa Kannan Lakmeeharan thinks quick action is required to go from feasibility to investment decisions in order for South Africa to fully capitalize on the prospects given by the expanding global demand for green hydrogen.
Furthermore, for these projects to succeed, government assistance in establishing connections with offtakers like Europe and Asia would be crucial.
The Hydrogen Council is a global project made up of significant actors in the energy, transportation, and industrial sectors that strives to hasten the development and adoption of hydrogen solutions throughout the world. McKinsey is a member of the Hydrogen Council’s technical advisory group.
Lakmeeharan emphasized that in order to keep other nations from “passing South Africa in the queue,” consortiums needed to quickly identify the ideal relationships. While some projects have already begun to meet domestic demands, he continued that decisive actions must be taken to fully realize the export potential.
Although progress has been made, he feels that public-private partnerships are essential for advancement and that the hydrogen economy in Africa will succeed or fail depending on the decisions taken in the following six to twelve months.
Japan starts hydrogen strategy review
While the global energy landscape has altered since the present policy was developed in 2017, mostly as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Japan has begun evaluating its fundamental hydrogen strategy to further promote decarbonization.
The hydrogen fundamental plan for the nation should be revised to reflect what the nation should pursue for its intermediate goals in 2035 and 2040 to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, according to discussions that were launched on March 6 by a council under the commerce and industry ministry Meti. By the end of March 2024, the approach could have undergone any necessary adjustments.
During the first three meetings, the council intends to hear from private-sector companies, mostly concerning particular initiatives and their ideas of what the nation’s strategy should be, including the necessary money, rules, and policies.
Building green hydrogen hub in Jeju Island
The Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning builds a green hydrogen global hub in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, which wants to become a ‘carbon-free island’.
At the Jeju Provincial Office on the 7th, Egipyung and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to construct a green hydrogen global center.
By creating a thorough system of cooperation for the early establishment of a green hydrogen ecosystem, such as setting up a green hydrogen base in Jeju Island, fostering new industries, and fostering talent, fostering the local hydrogen industry, and creating jobs, this business agreement was promoted to foster the Jeju Island green hydrogen industry ecosystem.
The two groups decided to collaborate closely in order to develop energy regulations that will enable an island to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and support the green hydrogen sector. It specifically intends to improve collaboration in order to successfully promote the 12.5MW and 3.3MW green hydrogen demonstration projects now being carried out on Jeju Island.
GS Caltex and South-East Power collaborate on green hydrogen
At the headquarters of Korea South-East Power in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, GS Caltex had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for collaboration in the production, supply, and use of clean hydrogen and other carbon-neutral initiatives.
According to this contract, GS Caltex will be in charge of building and running carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage facilities as well as clean hydrogen production facilities, while Korea South-East Power will be in charge of building and running facilities for introducing hydrogen and ammonia into power plants and using mixed firing.
Also, the Yeosu hydrogen hub project will be promoted by the two businesses. The Yeosu Industrial Complex will receive clean hydrogen from GS Caltex’s clean hydrogen production facilities, and Korea South-East Power will run clean hydrogen-powered power plants.
Kiel to lead in generation of heat and energy from hydrogen
Kiel aspires to lead the way in the generation of heat and energy from hydrogen. The Kiel coastal power plant will host the signing of a statement of intent.
The first large-engine thermal power station in the world to be converted to run on green hydrogen is Stadtwerke Kiel. If the foundation and infrastructure are in place, operations using hydrogen might begin in 2035.
When hydrogen is produced by electrolysis using solar or wind energy, it is referred to as green hydrogen. This hydrogen is climate-neutral if it is utilized once more to produce heat and power.
Gaz-System asks EU for funding for Poland’s hydrogen infrastructure
In order to qualify for EU funding, three hydrogen infrastructure installations have been designated as projects of common interest (PCI) by Poland’s state-owned gas grid operator Gaz-System.
The projects include infrastructure linking domestic hydrogen producers and a hydrogen storage in Damaslawek, the central Wielkopolskie province. The corridor for hydrogen transport from Finland, through the Baltic nations and Poland to Germany is also included.
PCIs connect the energy grids of EU nations and can gain from streamlined permitting processes and financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Gaz-System stated that after the new PCI list is approved by the EU institutions in the autumn of 2023, it will be possible to apply for CEF co-financing. The revised regulation on trans-European networks in energy (TEN-E) provides for the grant of a PCI status to facilities creating an integrated European hydrogen infrastructure.
Anka EnergyX and Harnyss USA partner for hydrogen SME smart grid in Sri Lanka
On March 1, at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, Harnyss USA organized the “Power of Hydrogen” industry event in collaboration with the Sri Lankan power and energy company Anka EnergyX.
The event, which drew more than 70 attendees, was the first open discussion and knowledge-sharing event to be held in Sri Lanka. Its goals were to stimulate discussion and innovation about how hydrogen storage and smart grid technology can be integrated with other renewable energy systems like solar and wind in order to increase their efficiency and dependability. The discussion at the event focused on flexible and scalable technology and how it might help SMEs and big business applications go green.
With a focus on clean energy options, the relationship with Harnyss USA enables Anka EnergyX to deliver hydrogen power solutions throughout Sri Lanka for the first time. This is an important step in lowering the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the effects of climate change.
