JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The growth in the adoption of especially fuel cell electric buses and trucks is very noticeable in China in particular, Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) CEO Steve Phiri said on Tuesday.

“It’s so amazing how you see technology development of fuel cells in Shanghai, and they’re monitored even by the government itself to see their performance. There is growth and don’t be surprised when you see a very sharp growth in fuel cell development and fuel cell buses and trucks on the road,” Phiri told Mining Weekly.

“Fuel cell adoption in China can take off like a Boeing 747, very quickly. A lot of work has been done behind the scenes and it’s so encouraging to see it.

“I was also in California recently where every bus on the road is a fuel cell bus, as well as the trucks themselves.

“Hydrogen fuel cell technology is there and the only thing that delays a spike in fuel cell vehicles on the road is available hydrogen infrastructure,” he added.

Bloomberg reports that Germany is taking its first steps to build an economy based on hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, seeking to deliver both green growth and to avoid being trapped by a small cartel of suppliers.

German Cabinet Ministers have been quietly lining up deals with nations including Nigeria that might produce hydrogen from renewable energy in the near future. The ambition is to reduce Germany’s pollution from oil and natural gas — and to cut reliance on the countries that produce the fuels.

The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel is looking to meet goals under the Paris Agreement on climate change. That will require a fuel like hydrogen, which can both provide heat for heavy industry and store excess electricity generated by renewables when it is most sunny and windy. Ministers are concerned that importing more hydrogen may leave Germany dependent on places with the capacity to produce the most, like Russia and OPEC nations, which already supply much of the nation’s energy. But unlike in the oil economy, cartel formation is not expected.

Four separate ministries in Berlin have been working on a blueprint to substitute the lightest element for oil, natural gas and coal. The programme is expected to be announced soon by Economy Minister Peter Altmaier.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that the Canadian government would extend the zero-emission-vehicle incentive to offroad mining fleets, by providing a 100% write-off in the year they are put in use.

The first motion of the world’s largest hydrogen-powered zero-emission haul truck is scheduled for mid-2020, with testing continuing at Anglo American Platinum’s Mogalakwena platinum mine in South Africa until the end of the year.

This climate-positive development by London- and Johannesburg-listed Anglo American will be open to the mining industry as a whole.

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