Infrastructure Requirements to Scale the Hydrogen Economy

Hydrogen Economy Discussion 2022 Session 3 Panel discussion Featuring: Bernard Swanepoel, Chairman Moderator: Ian Gebbie, Vice President Electrical Control and Instrument Engineering, DRA Global Presenters: Salah Mahdy, Global Market Director for Renewable Hydrogen, Howden Prof. Dmitri Bessarabov, Director: DST National Centre of Competence: Hydrogen Infrastructure, NWU Rajend Govender, CEO, thyssenkrupp Uhde SSA Osamu Ikeda, Deputy General Manager, Hydrogen Business Dept, Chiyoda Corporation The panel examines the infrastructure requirements to scale the hydrogen economy from niche applications to economy-wide decarbonisation. With 75 to 80 million tons of hydrogen already produced annually for heavy industry, the challenge lies in creating new distribution networks for hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier. The discussion spans production technologies, storage solutions, transportation methods including pipelines and ammonia carriers, and the regulatory frameworks needed to enable hydrogen deployment across multiple sectors. Timestamps: 0:15 Opening remarks and panel introduction 3:26 Current hydrogen production and industrial consumption 4:41 Green hydrogen drive and energy security acceleration 6:02 Hydrogen in mobility versus heavy industry applications 8:47 Infrastructure and demand as complementary forces 10:02 Decarbonisation pathways across all sectors 13:20 Scenarios for hydrogen infrastructure development 15:18 Reusing existing hydrocarbon infrastructure challenges 17:01 Hydrogen embrittlement of carbon steel pipelines 20:08 New infrastructure as employment and competitive opportunity 22:11 Minimum infrastructure requirements and roadmap 24:46 Pipeline as primary cost reduction solution 26:31 Three pillars of hydrogen infrastructure 29:02 Small scale local production versus large scale export 31:30 Codes and standards for high pressure hydrogen movement 32:22 Export infrastructure and ammonia as transport medium 35:38 Cost comparison and scalability of green hydrogen 40:43 Government support and energy security post Ukraine 41:25 Japanese perspective on diversifying the energy portfolio 42:19 Nuclear as primary energy source and hydrogen as energy carrier 43:38 Inflation Reduction Act and EU policy accelerating hydrogen support 46:02 Closing remarks from the chair Key takeaways: Current hydrogen usage: Approximately 75 to 80 million tons of hydrogen is produced globally each year, primarily for ammonia synthesis, methanol production and oil refineries, with only emerging demand as an energy carrier for transport and heating. Infrastructure challenge: Moving hydrogen from production sites to consumption points requires entirely new infrastructure as existing liquid hydrocarbon networks cannot be retrofitted due to hydrogen embrittlement of carbon steel at pressures above 100 bar. Ammonia as transport vector: Green ammonia offers the most viable near-term solution for exporting hydrogen internationally, leveraging existing port infrastructure and shipping capabilities rather than developing liquid hydrogen or complex pipeline networks. Pipeline development timeline: Hydrogen pipeline networks will take years to develop but represent the ultimate cost solution, with the US, parts of Europe and China already operating a combined total of approximately 6,000 kilometres of hydrogen pipelines providing proof of concept. Scalability drives cost reduction: Green hydrogen production cost depends primarily on renewable electricity cost, with large scale electrolysis plants required for economic viability, whilst distributed smaller systems suit specific applications like offshore wind platforms. Regulatory and standards framework: South Africa needs to adopt high pressure hydrogen movement regulations — with tube trailers capable of transporting hydrogen at 1,000 bar cited as a benchmark — and develop sector-specific codes to enable industrial adoption, with current restrictions limiting transport to 200 bar. Complementary energy sources: Hydrogen functions as an energy carrier and storage medium rather than a primary energy source, complementing nuclear, renewables and other generation types within a diversified energy portfolio. Note on timestamps: Timestamps are linked to key discussion points and may begin a few seconds before and/or after each segment for contextual continuity. Subscribe to our other platforms and keep the conversations going: The Zero Bull Sh*t Newsletter:   / zero-bull-sht-7312489607210635266   THINKspiration:   / thinkspiration   Resources For Africa:   / resources-for-africa