Eskom Tenders Green Hydrogen Pilot in South Africa

Wedoany.com Report-May 23, Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned utility, has announced a tender for the construction of a pilot renewable green hydrogen facility at its research, testing, and development unit in Johannesburg. This facility, which includes a 400 kW solar research pilot and battery testing plants, will host a water electrolysis hydrogen generation plant to operate for three years.

The tender, open for applications until June 27, 2025, requires the selected contractor to handle the engineering, procurement, and construction of the facility. A site meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2025, to provide further details to interested parties. Eskom emphasized that this pilot project is a critical step toward exploring green hydrogen as part of South Africa’s strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The initiative aims to deepen understanding of legislative and regulatory requirements for renewable hydrogen while fostering internal skills development within Eskom. The utility highlighted that the project will provide valuable insights into the practical adoption of green hydrogen technologies, supporting the country’s transition to cleaner energy sources.

Eskom’s broader clean energy efforts include an executable pipeline of 2 GW of renewable energy projects by 2026, with over 20 GW in development. In April 2025, the utility issued a tender to establish a standalone renewables division to accelerate clean energy development. Additionally, in February 2025, Eskom encouraged South Africans with grid-tied rooftop solar systems to register their installations, offering a fee waiver until March 2026 to promote compliance and support renewable energy integration.

This pilot facility underscores Eskom’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions and building expertise in green hydrogen, contributing to South Africa’s long-term environmental and energy goals.