Germany and South Africa have inked a declaration of intent to further expand cooperation on green hydrogen and power-to-X products.
The document was signed by German economy minister Robert Habeck and South Africa's electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on June 27.
With the deal, the 2 countries aim to cooperate more closely in the areas of production, processing, use and transport of green hydrogen and the associated synthetic fuels and ammonia.
The goal is to intensify government exchanges and facilitate access to markets as well as support joint project development and dialogue between politics, research institutes and science.
Habeck commented: "South Africa is an important partner for Germany on the African continent. Engagement in this field complements the efforts of the Federal Government to support South Africa's energy transition as a whole. To this end, we intend to provide an additional EUR 30 million from the International Climate Initiative."
The agreement to enhance the partnership follows Habeck's visit to South Africa in December last year, where he engaged in political and economic discussions to strengthen Germany's collaboration with the region. During his visit, Habeck granted funding of USD 16.42m for the initial phase of a 200-MW green hydrogen project in the eastern part of the country. The project is being developed by a consortium led by industrial gases maker Linde Plc. The green hydrogen produced at this site will be utilised for the production of sustainable aviation fuel.