- Publisher
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GmbH)
- Authors
- Frank Muenk (GIZ), Zaffar Hussain (Agora Industry)
- Version number
- 1.0
- Publication date
-
12 June 2025
- Pages
- 143
- Project
- Produced within the framework of PtX Hub
PtX allocation study for South Africa
Power-to-X to enable and advance the long-term transformation of South Africa’s Energy System
Summary
This paper presents the methods and results of an open-source modelling analysis of the South African energy system that includes Power-to-X (PtX) products – green hydrogen and derivatives generated from renewable electricity. It develops the first multi-sector, multi-regional and hourly resolved model for South Africa to evaluate promising scenarios for expanding and integrating renewable energy and PtX into the energy and industrial system.
With abundant solar and wind resources, a strong industrial base and key mineral endowments, South Africa is well positioned for green industrialisation and the production of hydrogen-based commodities. The PtX products and feedstocks considered in the study include synthetic green Fischer-Tropsch and methanol fuels, green methane, green ammonia, nitrogen, desalinated seawater and usable carbon dioxide (feedstock). Scaling these industries could create jobs, attract investment and support a climate-aligned transition for domestic heavy industry.
The study develops and uses a sector-coupled PyPSA-RSA-Sec, building on the mature open-source electricity system model PyPSA-RSA, a high-resolution, cross-sector energy system model tailored to South Africa’s needs. Scenarios align with South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) and Generation Connection Capacity Assessment (GCCA), integrating data from global hydrogen trade studies and national infrastructure assessments.
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PtX allocation study for South Africa
Power-to-X to enable and advance the long-term transformation of South Africa’s Energy System
