Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ibrahim Patel said the South African government was in talks with potential investors in green hydrogen projects, and Germany had identified the country as a major source of fuel.

President Cvril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that the government has drawn up plans to support the development of a pipeline of green hydrogen projects worth around R270 billion over the next year. The fuel is made using renewable energy.

The president sees green hydrogen as a big win for South Africa, Patel said in a phone interview. "We are in discussions with some private companies about this and it is very positive that Germany has identified South Africa as a major source of green hydrogen." Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

The minister said the government plans to develop a domestic hydrogen market and the excess will be exported. "We want the hydrogen market to overtake Germany," he said.Editor/XingWentao