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The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has announced that it is partnering with Implats, the world's second-largest platinum producer, to use and build local skills in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell products.
 
The Department has established three centres of competence under its National Hydrogen andFuel Cell Technologies Research, Development and Innovation Strategy (HySA Strategy).  These are hosted by some of the country's leading universities and science councils.  
 
The HySA Strategy is being implemented in the context of the DST's various innovation strategies, the Minerals Beneficiation Strategy of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), the Integrated Resource Plan of the Department of Energy, and the Department of Trade and Industry's industrial development strategies.  The collaboration between the DST and Implats is intended to attain some of the objectives of the HySA Strategy.
 
The HySA centres of competence have made progress in securing partnerships with the international and local private sectors, which will enable HySA to penetrate the global fuel cell market.  HySA Systems, one of the centres of competence, is based at the University of the Western Cape, and is engaged in systems integration and technology validation.
 
Implats will initially co-fund a niche project in the portfolio of HySA Systems to the value of R6 million, over a three-year cycle.  The project involves using South African raw materials to explore novel on-board hydrogen storage devices that will be used for utility vehicles such as forklifts that will be tested in the Implats environment.
 
The Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, said that the Department was delighted to announce its partnership with Implats, which it hoped would eventually lead to job creation and stimulate economic growth.
 
Dr Phil Mjwara, Director-General of Science and Technology, commented: "The private-sector funding of the HySA initiative demonstrates the government's commitment to working with the private sector in its quest to build a knowledge-based economy."
 
Prof. Bruno G Pollet, lead investigator and Director of HySA Systems, said:  "We are starting to take the necessary steps to gear up towards a hydrogen and fuel cell infrastructure, so it is essential that we begin to develop a supply chain of businesses which can generate jobs and growth in these new technologies.  Hydrogen-powered utility vehicles will help to create new working partnerships and bring about a sense of cohesion among those already working in the industry."
 
Terence Goodlace, the CEO of Implats, explained that long-term global growth could be sustained only on the foundations of resource availability and technological evolution, and that precious metals would be particularly valuable as growth patterns shifted.  Implats recognises that beneficiation as a mechanism for generating additional value from a national resource will be increasingly important.
 
Vinay Somera, the Implats manager for Market Strategy and Development, believes that the Hydrogen Economy offers an unrivalled opportunity to align the goals of allplayers and pool the efforts of industry and government towards a common vision.  HySA is an innovative approach to accelerating the evolution of the Hydrogen Economy by combining technological research with skills development and job creation.  As a forward-looking company, Implats sees value emerging from the goals of this initiative and is prepared to work closely with the various government arms, including the DST and DMR, in supporting HySA's goals.  Apart from financial support, Implats can add significant value by close interaction with government at steering committee and advisory levels, and by sharing the commercial drive and acumen that itbrings to the table as a large corporate.
 
Abdullah Khan, who will be overseeing the project for Implats, adds that platinum group metals (PGMs) used in hydrogen and fuel cells are technology-enabling.  The project with HySA Systems has the potential to expedite the development of a knowledge economy and to beneficiate PGMs locally, and highlights the much-needed cooperation required to develop a road map towards building a local fuel cell manufacturing industry.