Acid mine drainage (AMD), for long regarded as a mining curse, could be turned into a blessing if a new technology is rolled out successfully. Innovative South African company Hydrox Holdings wants to turn AMD into hydrogen, the new power source that a world hit by climate change wants as an alternative to oil. Hydrox’s new membrane-free technology is targeting hydrogen production at a cost below R100/kg, which makes it cost competitive with petrol. Hydrogen has the potential to become a universal energy carrier, in the same way that oil is now, but without the environmental impact. Platinum mines, which want to clean up their mining act, could do well to take a look at it. The vision is to produce it using sun and wind energy. The ‘green’ energy that would result could drive trucks on mines and make a contribution to the new low-carbon world that is unfolding fast.