South Africa’s plans to grow a green hydrogen economy face challenges due to shortages of skilled workers and limited local manufacturing capacity, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy heard on September 16.
Mandy Mlilo, Acting Chief Director for Hydrogen and Energy at the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, said the transition from pilot projects to commercial scale requires a stronger skills pipeline and greater uptake of locally developed technologies.
“Without stronger localisation and skills pipelines, South Africa will struggle to move from pilot projects to large-scale industrialisation,” Mlilo said.
Most components for hydrogen technologies, such as fuel cells and electrolysers, are still imported. While research under the Hydrogen South Africa programme has created valuable intellectual property, uptake by private companies has been limited, she said. Current initiatives include a partnership between Highbury and Bambili Energy to commercialise membrane electrode assemblies and work with manganese producers on battery materials. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation is also developing a hydrogen skills roadmap with the Department of Higher Education and Training.
