JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa would do well to highlight its key iridium supply status to gain the full confidence of a world that requires this very rare platinum group metal (PGM) to advance the fast-moving hydrogen economy.
Iridium is a potent co-roleplayer with PGMs stalwart platinum when it comes to electrolysing hydrogen from water. Because of South Africa’s solar power potential, land availability and PGM endowments, SFA Oxford CEO Henk de Hoop expresses the view that the country should raise its flag to highlight the key role it can play in fostering global decarbonisation. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)
De Hoop, who spoke to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview, believes that South Africa could play a leading role in getting the first big green hydrogen projects off the ground, particularly against the background of the long grey hydrogen track record of technology-smart South African synthetic fuel producer Sasol.
Money, he says, is available for hydrogen development and South Africa, he believes, should strive to be at the front of the green funding queue. Scale, he emphasises, will eventually ensure the competitiveness of the now costly green hydrogen and he sees advantage in South Africa Incorporated participating in hydrogen development at pace.
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