Africa’s place in the emerging hydrogen economy.
Hydrogen, as an energy carrier, is not new in Africa and around the world. It has a long history of uses, particularly in the metal, chemical and fertilizer industries. However, as the global pursuit of carbon-neutrality targets intensifies, the production of ‘clean’ hydrogen, has emerged as a key pillar for fostering a transition to climateneutrality.
The production of clean hydrogen requires the extraction of hydrogen using new processes: through the splitting of water molecules into their component parts using renewable electricity in a process called electrolysis (so-called green hydrogen) or through steam methane reforming combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies (so-called blue hydrogen). The abundant availability of energy resources in many parts
of Africa position the continent as an important potential location for the production and export of green and blue hydrogen. As countries in Europe and Asia with insufficient local renewable resources for hydrogen production consider the prospects of hydrogen imports from the African continent, additional questions regarding the economic feasibility of such export scenarios come into play.
