Chinese clean energy technology firm Envision Energy and South African petrochemicals giant Sasol have launched a design study to evaluate a potential green hydrogen system at Sasol’s Sasolburg operations, marking another step in South Africa’s ambitions to build a low-carbon fuels industry.
The collaboration, announced during South Africa’s Energy Investment Conference in China, will assess how renewable power, battery energy storage, and electrolyzers can be integrated to optimize green hydrogen production. The study is expected to be completed later this year and will provide the technical and commercial basis for potential future investments.
Green hydrogen is widely seen as a key building block for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries and producing low-carbon fuels such as eMethanol and sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF), both of which are expected to see growing demand as global emissions regulations tighten.
Envision will leverage its expertise in renewable energy, battery storage, AI-enabled energy management, and hydrogen technologies. The company recently commissioned what it describes as the world’s largest AI-enabled off-grid green hydrogen and ammonia project at its Chifeng Net Zero Industrial Park in China, producing 320,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually, with plans to expand significantly by 2028.
For Sasol, the partnership aligns with its broader strategy to decarbonize its chemicals and fuels business while leveraging existing industrial infrastructure. The company said the study will examine how integrated renewable generation and electrolyzer systems could deliver cost-competitive green hydrogen production at Sasolburg.
South Africa is increasingly positioning itself as a future green hydrogen exporter thanks to its abundant solar and wind resources, while the government views the sector as a potential driver of industrial investment, job creation, and lower-carbon economic growth. The Envision-Sasol collaboration could provide an important blueprint for future large-scale hydrogen developments in the country.
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