It took the researchers from CSIR and GFA Consulting Group, 24 months to develop the EIA guideline and the atlas, to guide green ammonia and methanol projects – a Life Cycle Assessment for green ammonia, and a comprehensive green hydrogen project developer’s guide.
These environmental planning tools were released by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in partners with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and GFA Consulting Group in Pretoria this week.
The tools are Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines (EIA) for green hydrogen projects and the South African Green Hydrogen Potential Atlas, an online geospatial atlas depicting the potential and suitability for green hydrogen development.
Development of the tools were funded by the H2.SA Programme, an initiative by the GIZ to promote a South African green hydrogen economy.
Titled “Managing the impacts of a Green Hydrogen / Power-to-X economy: an Environmental Impact Assessment Guideline for South Africa”, the manual offers practical guidance for assessment practitioners, project developers, decision-makers and stakeholders involved in the planning and environmental authorisation processes for complex green hydrogen systems. The guideline provides an overview of what green hydrogen development entails, the associated policy and regulatory context, guidance on best practice EIA and useful tools for planning projects and assessing impacts.
Paul Lochner, the leader of the CSIR’s Environmental Management Services group, said “green hydrogen projects are novel and very complex. These tools are intended to assist industry, government, NGOs and other stakeholders in integrating the environmental and social planning of green hydrogen projects into existing legislation and decision making.”
Luanita Snyman-van der Walt, CSIR senior researcher, said “as a freely available resource, the atlas can assist in identifying spatial prospects and constraints for green hydrogen development.
The atlas provides significant value by offering an integrated environmental and techno-economic view of potential green hydrogen development opportunities. It aims to provide a point-of-departure to identify regions which could be further investigated for green hydrogen development feasibility. It is based on the best available data at the time, but to err on the side of caution, development decisions must be based on fine scale investigation, ground truthing, and stakeholder engagement.”