With the Vaal Special Economic Zone (SEZ) developing into a manufacturing hub in South Africa, hydrogen fuel cell developer Mitochondria Energy Company is aiming to revitalise the region by developing local hydrogen fuel cell technology to improve the value chain.

Mitochondria chief technology officer Jan van der Merwe tells Mining Weekly that the company is involved in fuel cell production and hydrogen production.

It produces fuel cell systems that can produce energy for mining operations 24/7, offering a zero-carbon solution for mining companies.

“Our goal is to supply clean, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy through our technology, and the product we are producing in the Vaal SEZ is proudly South African,” says Van der Merwe.

Moreover, to aid development of a value chain, Mitochondria, cofounded by Mashudu Ramano, has commissioned a localisation study to determine which of the technology’s components can be locally sourced.

Van der Merwe notes that the project benefits local mining operations through mineral beneficiation. This allows for South African minerals to be upgraded and incorporated in high-value local manufacturing, rather than exporting ore, thereby offering miners an additional end-user market, rather than simply deriving revenue from export markets.

He explains that the company also hopes to assist businesses in the region to re-establish themselves in the market through its hydrogen technology to help make the region globally competitive in terms of sustainability.

Additionally, and with support from the Gauteng provincial government, Mitochondria interacts with surrounding communities by encouraging them to take an active role in the project to leverage the employment and finance opportunities that are being created.

“It is a matter of being hands on with the community and, in our community engagement workshops, we explain to community members how they can partner with us. “We want to empower communities and create a solid partnership where both sides reap the value. “We will continue with these initiatives even after the manufacturing plant is built,” says Mitochondria marketing agent Kutama Ramano.

The company is also establishing a hydrogen valley innovation hub in the Vaal SEZ, with Van der Merwe noting that this hub will be made possible through the local manufacturing of fuel cell technology components, thereby spurring the holistic development of the hydrogen industry.

“Within the hydrogen valley innovation hub, we want to establish a research and development centre because we have these pockets of excellence in South Africa, and we need to assist the entire country by focusing on where we can really make a difference in the hydrogen economy,” he says.

Challenges

While hydrogen technology can result in lower carbon emissions, Van der Merwe says that, initially, gaining access to the technology was challenging, as global original-equipment manufacturers could not provide technology suitable for the South African context.

“We turned this challenge into an opportunity because we developed our technology from the ground up for South Africa and the specific challenges it faces. These challenges enabled us to produce a South African-owned fuel cell system and we can now produce our technology locally,” he enthuses.

Further, Ramano says allaying misconceptions regarding the hydrogen economy and what it entails for the country is challenging.

Consequently, there is opportunity to educate the public and industry players about the opportunities in the green hydrogen sphere.

Mitochondria aims to create technology that sets a framework for the nascent green hydrogen economy in South Africa and Africa.

With the global emphasis on renewable energy, the company aims to provide its equipment to assist the mining industry in adopting hydrogen in the form of electricity, power and mobility.

Mitochondria also hopes to export this energy in the long term.

Ramano adds that these technologies are on the verge of being implemented and will assist mining companies that require hydrogen-based solutions.

“We are working to capitalise and take ownership of what South Africa has to offer in terms of the availability of hydrogen,” she adds.

Further, Mitochondria is addressing concerns over existing infrastructure issues and challenges pertaining to the transportation and storage of hydrogen through the development of its fuel cells.

Mitochondria has developed a multi-fuel fuel cell system that can operate on existing fuel sources as well as hydrogen.

“This approach has the benefit of getting into the market and lowering your carbon emissions now while transitioning to a zero-carbon future using green hydrogen. “All with the same technology that Mitochondria developed,” explains Van der Merwe.

Meanwhile, Mitochondria has received a request from a European company to deploy its fuel cell technology in that market.

“This reflects the quality of the product that we are developing, and we are proud that the quality is of such a standard that it can be deployed on the global market. “As our company grows, we will expand throughout Africa and beyond,” Van der Merwe concludes.