Every Friday, SAfm’s radio anchor Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly. Reported here is this Friday’s At the Coalface transcript:

Kamwendo: South Africa’s new energy plan received strong applause this week from a top ferrochrome producer.

Creamer: Doing the applauding was Glencore Alloys. Glencore is a massive company listed in London and listed in Johannesburg. It has big alloys businesses in South Africa and the ferrochrome side of it is so important to us, because we have got huge resources of chrome. We don't just export that chrome, we add value to it, we turn it into ferrochrome, which is the ingredient for stainless steel, which is in demand the world over.

What has happened now is that the enlargement given by the President has made them rethink the size of the solar power they want to introduce and the cogeneration they want to introduce. So, they are applauding the fact that there is no longer limitation of 100 MW, that you can get much bigger, because they have got massive smelters. These smelters require thousands of megawatts. They are saying that the new energy plan really opens a way for them. They are very happy and this will be great for us, because if they generate electricity at a high level it will mean less pressure on Eskom.

Kamwendo: The competitiveness of sun power was emphasised this week by companies that outlined their solar plant plans.

Creamer: Royal Bafokeng Platinum is one of those companies. They want 98 MW of sun power for their platinum mines. They won't have to put their hand in their pocket to pull out anything, because this is the way it is at the moment. Renewable energy companies come to you and say, we will put in the capital, we will build the solar plant. All you need to do is just guarantee that you will buy the electricity from that plant, which the Bafokeng are very happy to do.

That gives them energy security. Then you have got Barrick, another massive company, operating in West Africa. They announcing they are going to treble their solar in Mali. Of course, they have already got hydropower in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which makes them pretty green and clean.

Kamwendo: Anglo American’s big Southern African energy plan lays the foundation for the local production of green hydrogen.

Creamer: Green hydrogen is the big addition we can get from this massive Anglo American plan. On site they want solar, off site they want wind, and then with the excess, because the sun always shines when the demand is least, you get more power than you need, which can be stored and also turned into green hydrogen. Then those green molecules drive a mine’s vehicles.

They drive big mine trucks and there is no emissions, zero emission. The Anglo ecosystem that they are planning here is just wonderful for the country, because we are really well placed to produce green hydrogen. Sasol has had a half a century of producing grey hydrogen, they can switch to green hydrogen. They want to bring in a Hydrogen Corridor and the Boegoebaai Port to export the green hydrogen. We South Africans are so well placed, not only to become energy free, so that we don't have to import any energy and have energy sovereignty, but we also have the opportunity export clean energy. The demand is building up unbelievably across the world just every day now for green hydrogen.

You find a new country has got its roadmap for green hydrogen. There is one that has just come through from Turkey a few minutes ago, but that is just an example of about 40 countries now have told the world they are going towards green hydrogen, because they want this energy sovereignty, and South Africa is well placed to be very competitive in achieving its potential energy freedom.

Kamwendo: Thanks very much. Martin Creamer is publishing editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly.