Engineering the future
Progressing South Africa’s green hydrogen potential S outh Africa’s green hydrogen ambitions have been boosted by the recent environmental authorisation of the Coega Green Ammonia Project, following
ecosystems. “When you combine scale with sensitive biodiversity and community contexts, the cumulative impacts become significant,” says Heather-Clark. “Without strategic environmental planning, projects like these, which are important to the global energy transition, can present considerable biodiversity and social risks.” A central lesson from SLR Consulting’s experience is that environmental and social risk management must begin much earlier than in traditional ESIA timing, he says. In this way, situations where infrastructure footprints are poorly located at the planning stage can be avoided. For instance, if plans are made over areas with sensitive biodiversity, heritage sites or critical bird corridors, the project is likely to face appeals, costly redesign and inevitable delays.” Rather, he advocates early-stage environmental and social de-risking, by working alongside engineers and financiers during concept and pre-feasibility phases – and staying focused on risk assessment throughout the project lifecycle. Environmental and social risk management must start early “As environmental and social practitioners, we are trained to see land differently,” Heather-Clark says. “Where a flat piece of land near a substation might appear at first glance to be ideal for a solar power installation, it is essential to walk that site with an eye for aspects such as subsistence farming, cultural heritage sites, biodiversity sensitivities or community access routes.” He highlights that the mitigation hierarchy: avoid, minimise, restore and offset, forms the foundation of SLR Consulting’s approach. By revising infrastructure placement before design is fixed, developers can avoid costly redesigns and regulatory delays later. He also points out that green hydrogen projects – like other large industrial initiatives – are no longer assessed only against local environmental regulations. They must in addition satisfy specific environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements imposed by international lenders. Banks and third-party financiers that provide debt and equity apply strict frameworks in their due diligence processes. “The landscape of regulations and standards has shifted substantially over the past two decades. Compliance now goes well beyond satisfying local regulators,” he says. “Today, project sponsors must meet the expectations of multiple ESG advisors within lending institutions – focusing on issues from stakeholder engagement and biodiversity assessment to climate analysis and management systems. Human rights, gender-based violence and working conditions are also increasingly under scrutiny.” Among the key global frameworks with which green hydrogen projects must align are the Equator Principles and the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards. He emphasises that water
an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) conducted by SLR Consulting. Although there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of the cost of hydrogen and associated bankable off-take agreements, and policy uncertainty remains, this development brings South Africa a significant step closer to delivering more clean energy solutions and long- term regional benefits. The project, located near the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape, is planned as one of the country’s largest prospective infrastructure investments. Representing an investment of some $5.7 billion, the green ammonia plant is planned to be powered by 3.5 GW of renewable energy, with the potential to produce a million tonnes of green ammonia each year for export. Leading the ESIA was Stuart Heather-Clark, SLR Consulting’s Power Sector Lead for the Middle East and Africa, who highlights the significance of completing this stage of the project. “This milestone demonstrates that large-scale green hydrogen developments can navigate complex environmental and regulatory pathways in South Africa and other countries,” Heather-Clark says. SLR Consulting has been involved in several gigawatt- scale green hydrogen and ammonia export projects across South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Tunisia, Egypt and the Middle East. “The scale and complexity of these projects cannot be overstated,” he says. “They share common characteristics, such as vast renewable energy arrays, desalination plants, electrolysers and ammonia synthesis facilities. Critical related infrastructure includes transmission corridors, substations, pipelines and dedicated port infrastructure.” From an environmental perspective, the footprint of the developments can span thousands of square kilometres and include multiple interacting components. Each element introduces distinct environmental and social considerations, often across terrestrial, coastal and marine
Stuart Heather-Clark, SLR Consulting.
Large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia developments integrate complex infrastructure extending across renewable energy generation, desalination plants, electrolysers, transmission networks and export facilities.
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30 Electricity + Control MAY 2026
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