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

Kamwendo: The massive opportunities presented by the green economy were emphasised in Cape Town this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s economic advisor.

Creamer: The economic advisor Trudi Makhaya put a strong case for us extracting every opportunity possible from the green economy. Of course, we know that built into that are metals like platinum, vanadium and manganese. She was saying that nature has still blessed us with these and we can take part. She said: “you are never too poor to be innovative” and that the Asian Tigers proved that.

They were far poorer than South Africans are now when they began their industrial journey 50 years ago. She refuses to say that we can’t repeat that. In the meantime, intense action is going on at the Presidency level to work think out the way forward here and it looks like master plans are being prepared so that we can walk a course that has the whole influence of government behind it. We know that it is very important when it comes to moving into new territory and areas of innovation.

Kamwendo: South Africa’s platinum is mobilising thousands of vehicles in California, which is going all out to stop air pollution.

Creamer: That is right, the air pollution problem in California was so acute that the government decided it would move forward with measure. It is a top-down approach in California and there were representatives from California at Nedbank’s Fuel Cell meeting in Cape Town this week.

One of the people Dr Jose Lopez Gallego spelt out how South African platinum is doing an incredible job for the Californians in that is it is not only being part of the fuel cells vehicles and cleaning the exhaust systems for the country, but it is also at the point of entry of hydrogen and he is at that point. He builds electrolysers, that means they take electricity from the sun and they put it through water and they produce hydrogen. To do that they need South African platinum and iridium. Then you take it into the fuel cell where you need to platinum and ruthenium.

He is saying that this great attribution that platinum has to be a catalyst is being used to the full to clear the air of California. He said that you wouldn’t realise how bad it was in the past when you just did not do anything to stop air pollution. Governments that have come in and governors in California continually push this, no matter which governor is in place. He says that it is a top-down push and a lot of incentive to force Californians to go ahead with this and they are snapping it up.

He is saying that there are thousands of cars now around Los Angeles and certain big hubs in California that are making sure that they drive fuel cell vehicles. What happens is that he produces the hydrogen and the cars go up to 40 stations at the moment where they refuel with hydrogen. He says that there will be 200 of these stations by 2024.

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